MASTER 
NEGA  TIVE 

NO.  91-80175 


MICROFILMED  1991 
COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES/NEW  YORK 


as  part  of  the 
"Foundations  of  Western  Civilization  Preservation  Project 


Funded  by  the 
NATIONAL  ENDOWMENT  FOR  THE  HUMANITIES 


Reproductions  may  not  be  made  without  permission  from 

Columbia  University  Library 


COPYRIGHT  STATEMENT 

The  copyright  law  of  the  United  States  -  Title  17,  United 
States  Code  -  concerns  the  making  of  photocopies  or  other 
reproductions  of  copyrighted  material... 

Columbia  University  Library  reserves  the  right  to  refuse  to 
accept  a  copy  order  if,  in  its  judgement,  fulfilhnent  of  the  order 
would  involve  violation  of  the  copyright  law. 


AUTHOR: 


DE  LA  CAMP,  OTTO  A. 


TITLE: 


A  SPIRITUAL  TOUR  OF 
THE  WORLD  IN  ... 

PLACE: 

BOSTON 

DA  TE : 

[1 896] 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 
PRESERVATION  DEPARTMENT 

BIBLIOGRAPHIC  MICROFORM  TARHFT 


Master  Negative  # 


Original  Material  as  Filmed  -  Existing  Bibliographic  Record 


BK3/PR0D   Books 

FIN  ID  NYCG91-B63318 

ID:NYCG9i-B63313 
CC:9668   BLT:am 


FUL/BIB    NYCG91-B63318 


Acq  Maintenance  NYCG-N3 


-  Record  1  of  1  -  Record  updated  today 


CP:nyu 
PC:r 
MMD: 
040 

100  10 
245  12 

260  0 
300 
LOG 
QD 


RTYP:a 
DCF:? 
INT:? 


3T:p 
CSC:? 
GPC:? 
REP:? 


FRN: 

MS: 

MOD: 

SNR: 

BIO: 

:? 

FIC: 

CPI: 

:? 

FSI: 
COL: 

EL: 

AD:07-09-9i 

ATC: 

UD:07~09-91 

7 

CON: 

:??? 

7 

• 

ILC: 

•7777 

•     «     •     *      • 

MEI:?        II:? 

EML: 

GEN:        BSE: 

L:eng 

PD:199i/1896 

OR:    POL:     DM:     RR 
NNC^cNNC. 

De  La  Camp,  Otto  A. 

A  spiritual  tour  of  the  world  in  search  of  the  line  of  life's  evolutio 
nr h[m<crof orm  I  .rCOtto  A.  De  La  Camp. 
Boston , rbAr enarCL1896 J . 
X,  207  p.t:c20  cm. 
OCLC 
07-09-91 


Restrictions  on  Use: 


TECHNICAL  MICROFORM  DATA 

FILM     SIZE:„j3S"_/^n_m 

IMAGE  PLACEMENT:    lA  ^/   IE    HB 

DATE     FILMED: <^^/_7J_^     INITIALS^  J^^D 

HLMEDBY:    RESEARCH  PUBLICATIONS.  INC  WOODRRinnF  cf 


t 

REDUCTION     l^f^1\0\___ll2€_ 


r 


Association  for  information  and  Image  iManagement 

1100  Wayne  Avenue,  Suite  1100 
Silver  Spring,  Maryland  20910 

301/587-8202 


Centimeter 

12        3        4         5 

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiliiiilimliiiilinilii 


fl 


6         7        8         9        10       11       12       13       14       15   mm 

iiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiliiiiliiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiijiiiiiimil 


^ 


I  I  I 


Inches 


1 


TTJTT 


.0 


1.25 


1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 

4 


1^  III  2.8 

11"      

•A      u 
WiUu, 

1.4 

2.5 
2.2 

2.0 
1.8 

1.6 

TTT 


T 


MRNUFfiCTURED  TO  fillM  STRNDRRDS 
BY  APPLIED  IMAGE,  INC. 


<-r 


-  ■*■*:;  ii' 


^If' 


m 


"^ 


iL.,   1"^ 


I 


^■%-<: 


I 


Columbia  ®nibers!ltp 

m  rte  £itp  of  ^to  ^orfe 


LIBRARY 


4-. 


tl 

Hk^;P^il 

wL-^m 

m-'^-m 

It'' 

i^M.f    yv 

;^B^jj^)t^     IH 

^ft:^^  '     ^1 

^ 

H^4>  "m. 

.1 


Z^^/^aI 


W^ ' -if  b^ 


1:.  -JtT^^ '■^^;iiD 


/ 


'     1    1       »       I    .        1  i    '     I 


S6( 


sJ' 


^x 


A  ::Sj?i RITUAL  Tour 


t        •**•'*         »t  y       *Ji>      ^  f  Jit 

•       •   a        *    *      •     *       '  ' 
*•••*'*        ♦»        »  1) 


World 


t    I    »      ^    , 


IN  SEARCH  OF  THE  LINE  OF  LIFE'S 

EVOLUTION 


BY 


Otto  a.  De  La  Camp 


"Whatever  is  truly  beautiful 
The  same  is  beautifully  true' 


For  Sale  by  Roger  Bros. 
4^9  Sixth  Av^   Jfew  York 
BOSTON 
Arena   Publishing  Company 

COPLEY    SQUARE 


i 


1^ 


,  t 


PREFACE. 


ROBERT  S.  FREEDMAN  BEQUEgT 

Copyright,  1896, 
By  otto  a.  De  La  CAMP. 


Ail  rights  reserved. 


ARENA   PRESS. 


This  book  comes  into  the  world  in  a  manner 
somewhat  resembling  that  of  all  children  :  it  felt 
attracted,  and  here  it  is,  anxious  to  be  recognized 
and  welcomed  by  all  whose  sympathies  it  can 
excite. 

It  is  designed  to  appeal  to  those  who  are  inter- 
ested in  studies  concerning  the  spiritual  motive 
of  our  Universe  and  the  nature  of  our  destiny. 

Though  this  book  may  not  bring  any  knowledge 
that  has  heretofore  been  foreign  to  the  minds  of 
men,  it  endeavors  to  unite  some  of  that  which 
is  already  ours  into  a  picture  both  truthful  and 
pleasing  to  the  eye  of  the  soul. 

The  sign  of  Truth  being  Simplicity^  the  author 
has  made  it  his  special  object  to  evolve  this 
"mind-picture"  of  the  Universal  Life  by  the  very 
simplest  means  within  his  reach,  so  that  it  may 


IV 


PREFACE. 


reflect  itself  with  clearness  as  a  well-founded  and 
well-connected  thought-form  into  the  mind  of  him 
who  reads.  Succeeding  in  the  accomplishment 
of  this  object  the  author  hopes  that  this  little 
work  will  not  be  refused  its  modest  part  in  the 
promotion  of  our  spiritual  enlightenment  and 
well-being. 

Sincerely, 

THE  AUTHOR. 

February ^   1 896. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTBII. 

/l. 

/II. 
III. 

IV. 
V. 


VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 


rAGB. 

Preface, iii 

Introduction, vu 

The    World's    Fundamental    Principles: 

Space,  Substance,  and  Motion,       -       -  1 

Time, 11 

Diversification    of   the   Elements;  the 

World's  System,         -       -       -       -       -  18 

Establishment  of  Organized  Life,    -       -  25 

Nature  of  the  Primitive  Organisms;  Con- 
dition OF  THE  Earth's  Surface  at  the 

Time  of  their  First  Appearance,  -       -  33 

Plant-life, --40 

Development  of  the  Animal  Body,  -       -  46 

Life  of  the  Animal  Soul,  -       -       -       -  54 

Formation   and   Nature  of  the   Human 

Body,      -       - 68 

Constitution  of  the  Human  Soul;  Ori- 
gin OF  the  Races, 77 

Unfoldment  of  the  Human  Soul  in  the 

Life  of  the  Community,  -       -       -       -  85 

Fate,  with  Regard  to  Plant  and  Animal,  96 


VI 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTKR. 
XIII. 


XIV. 
XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 

XIX. 


■  I 


Variety    of    Fates    and    Characters    on 
THE  Human  Plane, 

The    Reason   for    our    Sufferings;    our 
Relation  to  the  Evil,      -       -       .       . 

Leading  to  an  Explanation  of  the  Ine- 
quality OF  OUR  Fates,       -       -        .        . 

The   Soul's    Immortality   and   Necessity 
FOR  Re-appearance  on  Earth,  - 

Conditions     governing    Re  -  appearance  ; 
Evolution  beyond  the  Human  Plane,  - 

Concerning   the   Higher    Form   of   Life 
and  the  Way  in  which  it  is  Attained, 

Our   Relation     to   the   World    of   the 
Disembodied  and  to  One  Another, 

Closing  Remarks, 


PAGH. 
104 

143 

154 

162 

180 
202 


INTRODUCTION. 


You  will  agree  with  me,  Kind  Reader,  when  I 
say  that  our  well-being,  both  individually  and  col- 
lectively,  is  largely  dependent  upon  our  concep- 
tions of  the  world  in  which  we  live. 

We,  like  all  other  creatures,  being  destined  to 
seek  and  to  find  our  salvation  through  our  own 
efforts,  thus  naturally  have  an  interest  in  the  man- 
ner  in  which  these  conceptions  are  evolved  :  we  are 
anxious  that  the  comfort  which  they  are  to  give 
be  not  merely  temporary,  but  lasting ;  and  to  this 
end,  they  must,  of  course,  be  children  of  the 
Truth. 

Where  is  the  Truth  ?  It  is  to  be  found  every- 
where  within  the  reach  of  him  whose  eye  can  see 
it.  We  approach  it  by  the  simultaneous  motion 
of  body  and  soul :  while  the  body  with  its  senses 
moves  around,  taking  note  of  exterior  qualities,  or 
the  appearance  of  things,  the  soul  proceeds  to 
travel  through,  for  contact  with  their  inner  nature, 
their  reality;  and  neither  of  them  permits  the 
other  a  final  rest.     Each  point  reached  by  the 


Vlll 


INTRODUCTION. 


INTRODUCTION. 


IX 


I 


senses  of  the  body  attracts  the  soul,  the  ceaseless 
questioner,  with  the  result  that  our  contemplated 
period  of  rest  unexpectedly  gives  place  to  an 
interrogation ;  and  this  must,  by  its  nature,  urge 
us  forever  onward.  Thus  we  continue  everlasting 
wanderers  through  the  Universe,  consciously  or 
unconsciously  searching  for  a  glimpse  of  Truth. 

The  experience,  the  knowledge,  which  we 
acquire  on  our  way,  will  be  gratifying  to  us  in 
accordance  with  the  nature  of  our  observation. 
We,  who  desire  above  all  things  to  behold  life  and 
well-being,  can,  of  course,  feel  firmly  established 
in  a  condition  of  serene  contentment  only  when 
our  experiences  have  generated  within  us  the  con- 
ception that  this  desired  life  and  happiness  is  the 
ultimate  fate  of  all  beings.  When  this  conception 
becomes  inseparable  from  our  inner  life,  we  shall 
feel  that  our  travels  and  attention  have  not  been 
in  vain. 

Now,  we  perceive  that  this  World  may  be 
searched  for  its  Truth  with  reference  both  to  its 
personality,  and  the  motive  which  causes  it.  The 
personality,  we  find,  shows  us  the  perishable,  and 
that  alone ;  for  it  consists  in  nothing  else.  There- 
fore this  cannot  be  the  final  object  of  our  study. 
If  we  would  know  what  lives  beyond  the  personal, 
we  must,  of  course,  search  beyond  the  same  for 


that  which  has  moved  it  to  come  forth  and  causes 
it  again  to  disappear ;  we  must  study  the  motive 
power.  How  ?  By  rising  out  of  the  personal  into 
the  Universal  and  identifying  ourselves  with  the 
Universal  character.  There  alone  is  to  be  found 
the  motive  which  we  are  in  search  of ;  and  in  pro- 
portion as  we  succeed  in  imbuing  our  senses  with 
this  character  will  they  be  able  to  see  that  which 
controls  our  life  and  happiness. 

As  our  studies  always  consist  in  individual 
effort,  we  can  never  lose  the  benefit  which  they 
bring  us.  We  know  that  a  view  of  the  World 
from  the  personal  standpoint,  being  our  first  pro- 
ceeding, is  pleasurable  so  long  as  we  have  not  yet 
fully  awakened  to  the  sense  of  the  perishable 
nature  which  belongs  to  the  affairs  of  this  life. 
When  we  have  arrived  at  the  perfect  understand- 
ing of  their  true  character,  then  we  begin  to  feel 
the  necessity  of  rising  into  the  higher  knowledge. 
This  proceeding  we  find,  however,  attended  with 
rather  more  difficulty,  more  painful  effort,  than 
the  former.  But,  in  all  justice,  the  reward  is  in 
proportion  greater ;  for  it  brings  us  the  true  con- 
ceptions which  alone  can  permanently  satisfy. 

Therefore,  we  make  this  greater  effort ;  and 
when  it  can  be  done  in  company,  it  will  be  so 
much   the   more   enjoyable  to   each.      You    are 


INTRODUCTION. 


aware,  Kind  Reader,  that  this  is  my  intention  at 
the  present  moment;  and  if  it  is  likewise  your 
good  fortune  and  desire,  for  the  time  being,  to 
enjoy  a  short  freedom  from  the  world  of  personal 
cares  and  pleasures,  I  would  propose  that  we 
attempt  such  a  spiritual  tour  of  the  World  in 
company.  I  promise  that  the  same  shall  be  as 
agreeable  as  I  can  make  it,  and  that  no  feeling  of 
disappointment  shall  come  to  you  other  than  such 
as  may  arise  from  the  discovery  that  the  regions 
traversed  are  already  familiar  to  your  mind.  This, 
you  will  admit,  could  not  be  helped ;  for,  may  one 
find  anywhere  in  this  World  a  view  which  some 
eye  has  not  seen  before  ?  But  we  find  pleasure 
in  returning  even  to  familiar  earthly  scenes  so 
long  as  they  accord  with  our  taste.  If  this  is 
true  with  regard  to  the  material,  how  much  more 
must  it  apply  to  the  spiritual !  Let  us  then  in 
good  faith  proceed  :  — 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   world's    fundamental    PRINCIPLES  ! 
SPACE,    SUBSTANCE,    AND    MOTION. 

As  we  have  already  observed,  the  tour  which 
we  are  to  undertake  is  twofold :  while  our  per- 
sonality moves  around  the  objects,  the  soul  is 
to  penetrate  their  surface  and  view  them  from 
within.  We  desire  to  discover  the  motive  of  life, 
the  heart  of  the  Universe ;  and  the  only  way  in 
which  this  may  be  done,  is  by  observing  how  the 
Universe  unfolds  its  life  out  of  the  first  princi- 
ples, and  how  it  then  proceeds  in  the  course  of 
its  further  evolution.  Having,  to  this  end,  left 
behind  us  the  sphere  of  our  own  personality,  we 
are  duly  prepared  for  entrance  into  this  greater 
one,  the  Universal,  which  comprises  them  all. 

Let  us,  then,  make  our  first  move :  We  will 
proceed  to  a  point  somewhere  in  close  proximity 
to  our  own  planet,  the  Earth.  What  is  now  the 
first  to  attract  our  attention  ?  It  cannot  be  our 
person,  the  one  in  the  midst  of  the  many ;  nor 
can  it  be  any  beauty  of  surroundings.     The  first 


I, » 


2  A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

now  to  appear  to  us  must  be  that  which  is  most 
simple,  most  generally  represented ;  it  must  be  a 
fundamental  feature  of  the  World.     So,  in  look- 
ing about,  upon  the  Earth,  its  waters,  and  the 
surrounding  heavens,  we  perceive,  before  all  else, 
the    bare    existence   of    Space,    Substance,    and 
Motion,     To  the  eye  of  the  person   this   is,  of 
course,  a  rather  dry  observation  to   begin  with, 
but  not  so  to  us  in   our  present  attitude.     The 
World's  secret  that  we  are  searching  must  neces- 
sarily be  anchored   at   the   World's  foundation; 
and  therefore  these  three  principles  are  the  first 
objects  to  attract  our  attention. 

We  observe  that  they  make  their  appearance 
simultaneously,  and   the  reason  for  this  is  that 
each  of  them  would  be  non-existent  without  the 
other   two.     A   space   implies    motion:    a  point 
must  move  to  form  a  length ;  the  motion  of  this 
length   creates  the  width ;  this,  in  turn,  proceeds 
to  form   the   third   dimension,  height.     Also  is 
implied  in  a  space  the  coexistence  of  a  substance; 
for,  in  order  to  be  perceptible,  a  space  must  either 
be  filled  or  be  surrounded  by  the  same;   other- 
wise  it   can  in   no   sense  even   have   existence. 
Substance  requires  its  volume  of  space  as  gener- 
ated  by  aforesaid  motion.     And,  lastly,  we  see 
that   Motion   cannot   be  without    the   necessary 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD.  3 

space  and  the  moving  object,  distinguishable  from 
its  surroundings.  Here,  again,  is  required  the 
presence  of  Substance,  however  fine  this  may  be, 
and  though  it  be  no  more  than  the  substance  of 
mere  thought.  Thus,  wherever  we  look,  we  find 
these  three  principles  simultaneously  present,  an 
harmonious  trio  at  the  World's  foundation. 

Let  us  now  look  into  their  interior  and  see 
them  in  their  inner  nature,  their  reality.  Here 
we  encounter  the  first  unavoidable  test  of  our 
independent  soul-power.  The  nature  of  the  Uni- 
verse, like  that  of  music,  is  comprehensible  by 
way  only  of  our  own  inner  power  of  perception. 
The  personal  sense  perceives  the  arrangement; 
the  meaning  is  discernible  only  to  the  higher 
sense,  the  impersonal,  the  universal.  That  which 
we  perceive  at  the  foundation  applies,  of  course, 
to  the  whole  structure ;  and,  therefore,  whatever 
we  may  learn  respecting  the  nature  of  Space, 
Substance,  and  Motion  is  really  a  necessary  part 
of  our  knowledge  if  we  would  properly  expand  our 
views  of  the  world  of  life  which  is  evolved  from 
these  three  principles. 

We  will,  then,  go  nearer  to  the  Earth  and  pick 
for  our  investigation  some  smaller  object:  here, 
this  cocoanut ;  —  what  is  its  size,  the  space  which 
it  occupies }    We  compare  the  same  with  some- 


4  A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 

thing  smaller,  for  instance,  its  kernel.     Then  we 
look    in    the    opposite    direction    for    something 
larger.     Thus  we  determine  its  relative,  or  appar- 
ent size.     Now  we  want  to  measure  its  absolute 
extent  as  it  is  to  be  discerned  from  the  universal 
point   of  vie)v.     To  this   end,  we  must   find  the 
smallest  unit  and  also  the  limits  of  the  whole  of 
which  it  is  a  part.     The  inch  and  foot  measure- 
ment  cannot  help  us  here.     We  retire  once  more 
into  the  interior  of  our  cocoanut,  towards  its  cen- 
ter.    Here   we   begin   looking    for   the   smallest 
point,  the  unit.     We  magnify  our  power  of  vision. 
We   find,   that   what   at    first   seemed   the   very 
center-point,   now   proves  to   be   a   little   sphere 
surrounding  a  center,  which,  before,  we  had  not 
noticed.     We  look  still  more  sharply  and  discover 
within    this    second   a   third.     We    see   that   we 
might    continue    thus    forever,    magnifying    our 
power  and   discovering   new  center-points,  each 
containing  within  itself  one  that  is  still  smaller. 
We  cannot  find  the  particle  which  is  next  in  size 
to  nothing,  and  must  conclude  that  it  lies  in  the 
realm  of  the  Infinite.     Now  we  will  come  out  of 
our    cocoanut    and   proceed    once    more    in   the 
other  direction  :  no  sphere  is  so  large  that  it  may 
not  be  surrounded  by  one  still  larger.     The  limits 
of  the  whole   must   likewise  be  in  the  Infinite. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD.  5 

Where     is     this     Infinite    which    contains     the 
universal  measurement  of  Space  ?     From  our  per- 
sonal point   of  view  it   is    certainly  beyond   our 
reach.     We  will  search  for  it  through  the  uni- 
versal eye.     Our  first  view  showed  us  the  ever- 
.present  harmony  between  Space,  Substance,  and 
Motion.     For   instance,  the   form   of  a  cube   is 
wanted  :  In  order  to  effect  its  creation,  necessity 
calls   for   a   point,  a   line,  and  a   plane,  specify- 
ing certain  limits  and  directions  of  motion,  —  a 
demand  which  is  always  perfectly  defined  in  all 
respects.     It  is  responded  to.     The  cube  is  now 
to  be  made  in  a  certain  proportion  larger  :  point, 
line,  and  plane  come  forth  and  form  it.     We  see, 
that,  wherever  a   demand   of    necessity   is   thus 
clearly  defined,  there   is  a  power  present  which 
fulfills  it.     Certainly,  this  power  must  be  equally 
as  definite  in  character,  or   it  would   not  create 
with  such  precision.     Looking  about  us,  we  find 
that  it  never  fails,  and  thus  we  must  acknowledge 
that  there  cannot  possibly  be  any  other  power  in 
existence.     It  is  the  undisputed  regulator  at  the 
World's  foundation,  and,  in  accordance  with  its  char- 
acter, there  must  come  forth  from  it  a  definite 
World.    Whatever  is  to  be  cannot  come  into  being 
in  any  other  way  than  by  the  will  of  this  one  power, 
which  we  thus  recognize  as  the  supreme  Law. 


6  A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD. 

Supposing  a  form  of  indefinite  proportions  were 
wanted :  could  it  come  into  existence  ?  Law, 
which  is  always  definite  in  its  perception  and 
power  of  execution,  can,  of  course,  respond  to 
such  demands  only  as  it  clearly  perceives.  Now, 
here  we  have  one  which  is  not  defined  and  not 
clearly  perceptible.  The  Law  finds  nothing  to 
which  it  may  conform  its  will,  and  leaves  this 
form  uncreated  to  remain  in  the  sphere  of  the 
impossible.  Thus  we  observe  how  the  undefined 
is  hindered  from  existence  by  the  world  of  the 
definite  so  long  as  the  character  of  the  former 
remains  undecided. 

This  very  nature  we  have  discovered  to  be  the 
attribute  of  the  Infinite  itself.  Therefore  we 
may  know  that  this  Infinite  does  certainly  not 
exist  as  a  reality  in  this  Universe.  But  may  it 
not  surround  the  same  ?  We  must  conclude  that 
this  would  always  require  the  existence  of  Space ; 
and  wherever  we  find  its  attribute,  extent,  there 
we  also  find  Law,  which  is  ever  the  same,  and 
which  gives  to  this  space,  according  to  its  nature, 
definite  form.  Go  where  we  will,  —  everywhere 
and  forever  exists  the  definite.  The  Infinite  is 
iiot  there,  and  no  eternal  process  of  any  kind  can 
bring  it  forth  :  it  is  fatherless  ;  and  the  ever  pres- 
ent  Law,  not   recognizing   it   even   in  the  idea, 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD.  7 

can  give  it  no  form.  So  the  Infinite  can  never 
trouble  us.  But  it  also  leaves  us  without  our 
desired  discovery  of  the  smallest  and  the  largest 
sphere  ;  and  thus  we  unexpectedly  become  aware 
of  the  truth  that  there  is  no  actual  measurement 
for  Space,  no  Law  of  actual  size :  Space,  in  the 
absolutey  is  sizeless. 

However,  we  may  know  that  an  actual  size  is 
not  needed.     Why  not  >     Because  the  absence  of 
necessity  is  proven  by  the  absence  of  Law.     Let 
us  demonstrate  this  :  If  actual  size  is  not  needed, 
it  must  be  possible,  for  instance,  that  our  whole 
solar  system,  in  all  the  relative  proportions  of  its 
parts,  be  made  manifest  within  the  space  occupied 
by  this  nut.     Can  Law  establish  these  manifold 
proportions  within  so  small  a  sphere  }     Yes  :  and 
we  may  also  continue  reducing,  and  at  the  same 
time  adding  as  many  more  solar   systems   as  we 
wish,  forever,  without  reaching  that  smallness  of 
point  which  they  are  capable  of  occupying  in  their 
exact  relative  dimensions.     No  sphere  is  so  small, 
and  at  the  same  time  none  so  great,  in  which  Law 
cannot  maintain  them  just  as  we  see  them  existing 
around  us ;  for,  whatever  part  of  Space  may  be  chos- 
en,—  so  long  as  that  part  is  a  space,  it  will  always 
admit  of  an  infinite  number  and  variety  of  divisions. 
Supposing  we,  together  with  all  existing  pro- 


8 


A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD. 


portions,  were  demonstrated  within  a  sphere  so 
near  in  its  extent  to  nothing  as  to  form  but  an 
idea  of  space,  —  would  anything  reveal  itself  as 
wanting  in  its  present,  well-adjusted  size  ?  Again, 
supposing  all  proportions  were  established  on  the 
largest  scale  conceivable,  —  could  we  perceive  a 
difference?  By  no  means.  Thus  we  find  that 
Law  is  in  all  its  demonstrations  independent  of  a 
specified  absolute  extent.  No  being  can  ever 
have  cognizance  of  an  actual  dimension,  and  there- 
fore none  experiences  the  want  of  any.  It  lies 
not  in  the  logic  of  Law  to  bring  forth  what  is  not 
demanded  by  necessity ;  and,  there  being  no  such 
call  upon  Law  in  this  case,  Space  does  not  assume 
in  any  of  its  parts  the  character  of  actually  limited 
extent.  This  means  that  it  remains  undefined  in 
every  part,  infinite  throughout ;  and  therefore  we 
know  that  it  is  barred  from  actual  existence.  The 
sole  reality  represented  in  it  is  :  demonstration  of 
relationships  between  parts.  Thus  we  find  Space 
to  be  merely  an  idea\  it  expresses  the  Law  of 
relative  proportions,  and  nothing  else.  We  find 
it  here,  there,  everywhere ;  for  a  well-defined  idea, 
demonstrative  in  any  dimension,  must  fill  out 
with  its  being  all  existence.  And  yet,  it  lives  not 
in  locality;  for  there  is  none  but  the  imaginary 
which  is  embraced  in  this  idea. 


A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD.  9 

What  do  we  gain  by  this  discovery }  Let  us 
apply  its  truth  in  our  study  of  this  cocoanut :  The 
size  of  the  nut,  as  we  have  now  seen,  is  an  ideal 
one;  the  space  which  it  occupies  is  merely  a 
demonstration  of  proportion  to  other  dimensions. 
What,  now,  is  its  substance.?  This,  we  know, 
cannot  exist  outside  of  this  imaginary  and  only 
Space.  An  ideal  Space  can  contain  no  actual 
Substance.  We  must,  therefore,  conclude  that 
this  nut,  as  well  as  everything  else  which  has  the 
character  of  Substance,  is  as  ideal  as  the  Space 
which  it  occupies,  —  that  there  is  not  an  atom  of 
actually  rigid  Substance  in  the  Universe :  As  we 
recognize  in  Space  the  demonstration  of  the  Law 
of  relationships  between  ideal  dimensions,  so  we 
find  Substance  to  be  the  demonstration  of  the  Law 
governing  their  proportionate  impenetrability,  or 
density. 

Now  we  throw  the  nut  away  and  observe  how 
it  moves  through  Space.  As  we  see  it  go,  we 
feel  assured  that  there  is  no  power  which  can 
ever  take  this  bit  of  substance  from  the  Uni- 
verse ;  for,  without  its  Space,  motion  is  impossible. 
But,  at  the  same  time,  considering  the  nature  of 
this  Space,  we  see  that  Motion,  like  Substance, 
constitutes  in  the  absolute  but  an  idea.  Being 
the  third  in  this  fundamental  trio,  it  represents 


lO 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


the  Law  which  regulates  the  changes  of  position 
between  the  other  two. 

Thus  we  have  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  view  of 
all  three  principles  as  they  appear  in  the  universal 
sense,  and  therewith  we  have  discovered  the  nature 
of  all  that  is  evolved  from  them.  We  now  recog- 
nize the  Universe  in  its  true  character  as  being 
the  great  idea  of  ideas,  filling  out  all  existence  by 
virtue  of  this  trio  of  harmonious  principles.  And 
in  that  which  maintains  this  ever  present  harmony 
at  the  World's  foundation  we  have  sensed  the 
presence  of  a  Universal  Spirit. 


CHAPTER  II. 


TIME. 


While  our  eye  thus  views  the  world  of  demon- 
strations as  concentrated  into  the  one  ideal  and 
omnipresent  point  called  "  here,"  we  become  cog- 
nizant also  of  another  essential :  the  uninter- 
rupted existence  of  the  "now."  Is  this  likewise 
an  extent,  or,  as  it  were,  another  feature  of 
Space  ?  Let  us  examine  it :  As  we  have  seen, 
the  dimension  known  as  length  owes  its  being  to 
the  spiritual  motion  of  a  point.  However  quick 
this  motion  may  be,  we  know  that  it  takes  place, 
or  there  would  not  come  forth  the  idea  of  lineal 
extent.  The  World  is  thus  filled  with  straight 
and  curved  motions.  But  we  perceive  also 
another  variety :  the  degrees  of  velocity.  And 
this  is  the  one  which  suggests  to  us  the  idea  of 
the  feature  called  "  Time." 

We  measure  Time  as  we  measure  Space,  that 
is,  we  take  note  of  its  relative  extent.  And,  as 
a  space  appears  large  or  small,  according  to  the 


12  A    SPIRITUAL   TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

closeness  of  attention  bestowed  upon  the  same; 
so  an  extent  of  time  will  seem  to  us  long  or  short : 
long,  when  our  power  of  perception  is  directed 
away  from  the  events  to  the  line  of  their  succes- 
sion ;  short,  when  our  interest  is  confined  to  the 
events   themselves.     The   marking  of   Time   by 
comparing  the  motion  of  the  pendulum  with  those 
of  the  minute-  and  hour-hand  is  our  measurement 
of    relative    duration.      The    absolute    must    be 
sought  by  way  of  comparing  the  shortest  interval 
with   the   longest.     We   will   first    look   for  the 
shortest,  the  unit  of  Time.     This  we  know  to  be 
that  part  which  is  marked  by  the  shortest  event, 
the    quickest    vibration.     So    we    proceed    from 
those  executed  by  the  pendulum  to  measure  those 
of  sound.     We  find  the  much  quicker  vibrations 
of  heat,  light,  electricity.     Finally  we  are  led  to 
conceive  of  those  originated  by  thought.     These 
latter  are,  of  course,  the  quickest  of  which  we  can 
have  any  knowledge.     Now,  the  realm  of  thought 
extends  through  the  whole  World  as  direct  spirit- 
ual vibration,   and  we   can  understand   that   the 
finer  and  more  intricate  a  thought,  the  faster  must 
be  the  vibrations  living  in  the  same.     But  we  also 
conceive  of  the  truth  that  no  thought  can  possibly 
be  so  fine,  so  elevated,  so  active,  as  not  to  admit 
of  one  that  is  still  more  so :  the  quickest  vibration 


A   SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


13 


^ 


is  impossible  to  be  found,  and  will  ever  remain 
in  the  realm  of  the  Infinite. 

We  now  proceed  in  the  other  direction.  Here 
we  follow  the  slower  vibrations,  the  revolutions  of 
the  heavenly  bodies ;  the  Earth,  the  Sun,  the 
clusters  of  Suns,  and  so  on,  beyond  conception : 
the  longest  interval  is  likewise  an  impossibility. 
Finding  no  limit  in  either  direction,  we  are  thus 
convinced  that  Time  is  really  but  a  feature  of 
Space,  a  fourth  dimension,  and  consequently  of 
the  like  ideal  nature.  We  may  see  in  it  the  dem- 
onstration of  the  Law  which  governs  the  relations 
between  the  various  degrees  of  velocity  of  motion. 

We  assured  ourselves  before,  that  the  other 
three  dimensions  of  Space  have  no  actual,  that  is, 
rigid  existence,  by  demonstrating  the  absence  of 
necessity.  Now  we  must  be  able  to  proceed  in 
like  manner  with  regard  to  the  fourth  feature, 
Time.  Let  us  see  :  If  a  specified  or  actual  extent 
of  Time  is  not  needed,  it  must  be  possible  for  all 
the  proportions  existing  between  the  intervals  of 
which  it  consists,  to  manifest  themselves  unal- 
tered within  any  space  of  time  that  may  be 
specified.  For  instance,  the  events  of  an  hour 
must  be  contractible  in  their  right  proportion  to 
each  other  into  the  space  of  what  we  now  call  a 
second.     This  is  possible,  and  their  duration  as  a 


V 


14  A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


whole  may  be  reduced  still  more.  In  fact,  there 
is  no  moment  so  short  that  it  may  not  contain 
them  in  the  same  relationship  to  one  another  as 
we  perceive  them  to  be  in  at  present ;  for,  as  we 
have  seen  before,  there  is  no  moment  so  small 
that  it  cannot  be  divided  into  an  infinite  number 
of  others.  At  the  same  time,  the  amount  of 
events  thus  contracted  might  be  increased  to  that 
of  a  day,  a  year,  and  so  on,  —  infinitely.  "But 
we  are  not  to  become  aware  of  the  fact  that  a 
change  has  taken  place."  How  could  we,  since 
our  lives  themselves  remain  confined  in  the  midst 
of  the  line  contracted  .J^  As  it  would  be  impossi- 
ble  for  us  to  discover  any  deviation  from  actual 
size,  if  such  existed ;  so  would  it  be  beyond  our 
power  to  perceive  any  contraction  or  expansion  of 
an  actual  Time. 

Thus,  the  appearance  of  a  space  of  time  de- 
pends solely  upon  our  own  attitude  towards  the 
same ;  a  moment,  in  reality  ever  so  short,  may 
yet  seem  almost  an  eternity,  and  vice  versa. 
Time  being  thus  elastic  in  appearance,  no  matter 

what   actual  length  might  be  assigned   to  it, 

why,  then,  should  Law  institute  a  rigid  moment  ? 
There  is  no  call  for  one.  The  necessary  musi 
exist,  the  unnecessary  is  fatherless.  Therefore, 
since  the  succession  of  events  is  merely  a  dem- 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


15 


onstration  of  relative  duration,  without  any  dis- 
tinguishable actual  extent,  we  see,  that,  in  the 
Spirit,  all  the  past  and  all  the  future  are  so  infi- 
nitely concentrated  into  one  point,  as  to  be  actu- 
ally   contemporaneous.     Our   personality  can,  of 
course,  never  comprehend  aught  but  succession  of 
events,  durations  that  are  apparently  real ;  but  in 
the  Spirit,  Time  is  all  one  moment,  an  inevitable 
and  consequently  indestructible   once,    in    which 
is   contained    simultaneously   everything    that   is 
possible  of  existence  through  the  power  of  Law. 
Can  we  imagine  that  any  one  of  the  Spirit's  dic- 
tates has  ever  not  existed  and  not  been  instantly 
fulfilled?     We    see,   for    instance,    that   when   a 
combination  is  formed  of  certain  values,  or  num- 
bers, the  total  value,  or  end  result,  has  its  exist- 
ence simultaneous  with  that  formation.     It  is  our 
person  only  which  has  to  go  through  the  process 
of  tracing  the  relationships  between  these  num- 
bers from  one  stage  to  the  other  before  the  exist- 
ence  of  the   ultimate   becomes   apparent  to  us. 
And  there  is  never  more  than  one  result  possible ; 
for  the  Spirit's  character,  its  Law,  is  ever  clearly 
defined  throughout,  and  therefore  admits  of  no 
choice.     On  looking  about,  we  find  that  there  is 
no  exceptional  event  anywhere,  none  which  can 
not  be  traced  from  cause  to  cause  as  being  the 


l6  A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

necessary  and  only  possible  result  of  the  Spirit's 
dictates. 

Thus  we  become  aware,  that,  as  the  events  of 
all  times  are  contained  within  the  Spirit  simultan- 
eously  with  its  own  existence,  and  consequently  also 
with  one  another,  each  of  them  must  necessarily 
be  visible  at  any  time  to  the  eye  of  the  imper- 
sonal   observer.      Is  this   manner  of  observation 
a  possibility   to   individual    senses?      We   must 
acknowledge  that  it  is ;  for  we  know  that  a  per- 
son's desire  and  powers  of  perception  may  at  times 
be  lifted  entirely  out  of  the  ordinary  sphere  of  the 
personality.     Being  thus  hindered  from  acting  in 
their  own  interest,  they  will  thereby  not  be  con- 
fined  in  idleness,  but  will  be  forced  to  operate  in 
the   world  of  personalities  surrounding.      There 
being  to   the   senses   thus   liberated   neither   an 
actual   distance   between   objects,  nor  an  actual 
interval   between   events,  all   past,   present,    and 
future  things  of  any  locality  will  become  discerni- 
ble with  equal  clearness ;  and  the  senses  will  take 
note  of  all  that  towards  which  they  are  directed, 
perceiving   in   accordance   with   their    individual 
ability  and  character.     The  fine  thread  of  personal 
consciousness  by  which  their  connection  with  the 
body  is  maintained,  is  just  sufficient  for  enabling 
them  to  impart  their  discoveries  to  the  descriptive 


A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD. 


17 


faculties  of  the  person,  and  through  this  to  the 
outer  world.  These  are  the  essentials  to  the 
mysterious  process  known  to  us  as  clairvoyance, 
clairaudience,  —  constituting  the  gift  of  prophecy. 
And  the  more  we  contemplate  the  fact  that  indi- 
vidual powers  of  perception  do  occasionally  in  this 
manner  reach  beyond  the  sphere  of  the  person- 
ality, discovering  with  equal  facility  things  near 
and  distant,  past  and  future,  the  more  strongly 
shall  we  feel  impressed  with  the  truth  that  our 
World  is  purely  spiritual,  ideal.  Likewise  does 
the  conviction  grow  upon  us,  that  our  Universe  is 
not  brought  into  existence  and  maintained  through 
the  united  action  of  various  ideas,  or  Spirits, 
coming  from  independent  sources,  but  that  all  is 
the  perpetual  unfoldment  of  one  uniform  idea, 
one  character,  well-defined  in  every  particular, 
perfect,  and  therefore  ever  present,  —  One 
Almighty  Spirit. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD. 


19 


f 


CHAPTER  III. 

DIVERSIFICATION    OF    THE   ELEMENTS;   THE 

world's  system. 

In  the  light  of  the  knowledge  which  we  have 
thus  far  obtained  we  are  now  qualified  for  pro- 
ceeding to  observe  our  World  more  with  regard  to 
particulars. 

We   have   already  found,  while   contemplating 
the  character  which  lives  in  the  three  fundamental 
principles,    Space,  Substance,   and   Motion,    that 
there  never  can  have  been  a  time  when  this  World 
did  not  exist,  and,  likewise,  that  there  can  never 
come  a  time  when  it  might  be  destroyed.     For 
character  means  will,  preference  of  one  thing  to 
another.     The  Spirit,  being  so  perfectly  defined 
m  all  directions  as  to  comprise  all  Time  as  its  own 
Idea,  always  was  and  always  will  be  as  it  is      Its 
character  prefers  to  demonstrate   itself,  to  con 
tinually  unfold  all  the  possibilities  of  its  being  • 
therefore  we  may  know  that  Spirit  and  World  are 
ever  one  and  simultaneous. 

Now  we  look  upon  all  the  many  things  which 
constitute  its  life.     What  a  variety  is  manifested 


in  the  moving  Substance,  from  the  most  ethereal 
to  the  most  impenetrable !  And  what  variety  of 
motion  and  velocity !  —  not  a  point  anywhere 
which  is  not  being  traversed  by  some  kind  of 
matter  in  motion  straight  or  curved,  slow  or  fast. 
Surely,  these  three  principles  are  inseparable 
under  all  conditions. 

All  vibration,  we  find,  is  but  the  inner  motion 
of  the  substance  through  which  it  passes ;  more- 
over, the  various  kinds  of  matter,  or  rather 
Spirit-substance,  must  themselves  be  so  many 
different  modes  of  inner  motion,  or  they  could 
not  be  so  susceptive  to  all  the  vibrations  coming 
to  them,  and  yet  retain  their  individual  characters 
throughout.  We  know,  that,  for  instance,  the 
vibrations  which  we  recognize  as  heat  are  produced 
through  friction  of  particles.  These  latter  must 
be  impelled  to  violent  motion  before  the  heat 
comes  forth  and  informs  us  of  the  vibrations 
which  are  taking  place.  But  does  this  imply  that 
there  is  no  inner  motion  when  the  substance  is  in 
a  state  which  we  call  "low  temperature".^  The 
fact  that  we  do  not  perceive  a  vibration  does  not 
prove  that  there  is  none  present.  If  one  degree 
of  warmth  is  produced  through  inner  motion  of 
the  substance,  all  other  degrees  must  arise  from 
the  same  cause.     And  where  is  the  line  between 


20 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


heat  and  cold  ?  It  is  only  we  who  make  such  a 
distinction ;  in  the  absolute  there  is  none.  There 
we  find  the  scale  of  temperature  uninterrupted  by 
any  dividing-point ;  and  thus  we  find  that  there 
really  are  degrees  of  one  kind  only,  —  degrees  of 
vibration.  And  which  is  the  lowest  degree; 
which  the  highest  ?  There  is  no  limit  in  either 
direction ;  and,  as  everything  that  exists  must 
possess  a  certain  temperature,  we  become  aware 
that  there  is  not  a  particle  of  substance  which  is 
not  in  a  constant  state  of  inner  motion  of  its  own, 
however  slow  this  vibration  may  be,  —  it  is  never- 
theless present. 

We  observe  that  these  vibrations  differ,  not  in 
respect  to  degree  of  velocity  alone,  but  also  with 
regard  to  their  form  as  determined  by  the  nature 
and  condition  of  the  vibrating  substance.  We 
find  this  fact  illustrated,  for  instance,  in  a  body  of 
water:  The  inner  motion  of  water  may  be 
regarded  as  being  ordinarily  of  a  kind  somewhat 
circular;  for  we  notice  that  the  particles  have 
great  facility  for  flowing,  or  rolling  over  one 
another.  When  their  temperature  becomes  very 
low,  so  that  crystallizations  appear,  we  may  know 
that  their  vibrations  have  not  only  become  less 
active,  but  have  also  changed  their  form ;  for  the 
particles  have  ceased  their   flowing  motion   and 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


21 


now  cohere  more  firmly  in  the  form  of  ice.  In 
the  opposite  direction,  the  speed  of  their  vibrations 
may  be  increased  until  the  friction  between  the 
particles  becomes  so  powerful  as  to  cause  theni  to 
disperse  in  the  form  of  steam.  The  vibrations  of 
iron,  for  instance,  must  be  different  from  those  of 
water ;  for  their  response  to  foreign  vibrative  power 
is  not  the  same.  This  difference  is  perceptible 
even  to  our  sense  of  touch  ;  the  sensation  produced 
by  hot  iron  is  very  unlike  that  which  is  caused  by 
water  of  the  same  temperature :  the  feeling  which 
we  experience  on  touching  the  iron  is  more  acute ; 
therefore  the  vibrations  of  iron  cannot  be  so 
smoothly  round  as  are  those  of  water.  Thus,  each 
kind  of  substance  has  its  individual  mode  of 
inner  motion  by  which  it  is  distinguished  from  all 
the  other  kinds,  in  respect  to  both  form  and 
impenetrability  ;  and  we  may  here  even  go  so  far 
as  to  conclude  that  the  indestructibility  of  sub- 
stance is  really  nothing  else  than  the  exterior 
evidence  of  the  immortality  of  the  spiritual 
vibrative  power  within. 

We  have  thus  acquired  an  idea  of  the  manner 
in  which  the  Spirit  diversifies  its  substance  and 
effects  change  of  condition.  We  now  observe  the 
great  centers  of  vibrative  power,  the  Suns,  which 
radiate  their  force  in   all  directions,  penetrating 


22 


A  SPIRITUAL  TOUR  OF  THE  WORLD. 


A  SPIRITUAL  TOUR  OF  THE  WORLD. 


23 


with  their  life  the  things  surrounding  ;  and,  from 
the  planets  to  the  smallest  particles  of  ether,  we 
find  all  motion,  all  life. 

An  extensive  view  of  this  universal  motion  tells 
us  that  it  is  not  a  promiscuous  motion,  but  that 
all  is  embraced  in  one  great  system  which  is 
brought  forth  through  the  principle  of  mutual 
attraction  between  parts.  Each  attracts  the  others 
according  to  its  character  and  power,  and  the 
greatest,  the  Suns,  form  the  common  centers ; 
these,  in  turn,  cluster  around  another ;  this,  again, 
moves  around  a  third ;  and  so  we  might  continue 
forever  finding  new  centers  of  attraction.  It  is 
all  a  demonstration  of  close  relationship  between 
parts.  That  this  power  of  attraction  is  ever 
present  and  almighty,  is  certain ;  for,  if  substances 
were  not  impelled  to  exert  themselves  towards 
forming  this  general  union,  their  continued  motion 
would  soon  disperse  them  and  thus  dissolve  the 
Universe. 

What  causes  this  tendency  of  the  parts  to  unite  ? 
It  can  only  be  the  affinity  existing  between  their 
inner  motions,  their  natures,  proving  them  all  to 
be  of  the  same  source  and  pervaded  with  the  same 
Spirit.  They  are  forced  in  a  certain  sense  to 
perceive  one  another's  presence,  whether  they  be 
mere  minute  particles  or  great  heavenly  bodies ; 


and  their  effort  at  uniting  shows  that  there  exists 
between  them  a  certain  understanding,  a  degree 
of  harmony. 

We  find,  however,  that  a  permanent  union 
between  individual  parts  is  nowhere  permitted. 
Not  a  particle  of  water,  for  instance,  may  remain 
forever  in  its  ocean.  It  must  sometime  come  to 
the  surface ;  here  its  tiny  spiral  revolutions  are 
joined  by  the  kindred  ones  of  the  atmosphere, 
which  bid  it  "come;"  the  ocean  would  have  it 
stay,  but  the  drop  is  already  aroused  to  quicker 
motion,  greater  power,  than  that  possessed  by  its 
fellows  underneath ;  and  the  same  law  through 
which  it  is  enabled  to  exercise  its  character  in 
individual  motion,  now  bids  it  assert  the  same,  — 
to  rise  out  and  "  move."  The  Law  gives  it  a  sepa- 
rate mission.  And  who  can  follow,  even  in  idea, 
the  wanderings  of  this  drop  of  water  through 
all  the  foreign  elements,  until  it  is  permitted 
to  return  into  its  own,  —  for  a  while  !  So  has 
the  same  Law,  through  instituting  difference  in 
degrees  of  power,  given  individuality,  motion,  sepa- 
ration, to  the  heavenly  spheres.  The  Sun  also 
says  to  the  Earth,  *'  come,"  and  the  Earth  would 
fain  unite,  but  the  Law  again  says,  "  move."  The 
Earth,  too,  has  received  its  mission,  and  must 
wander  until  it  is  fulfilled. 


24 


A    SPIRITUAL   TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


What  is  this  mission  ?  We  are  aware  that  the 
Spirit  does  not  stop  in  the  unfoldment  of  its  ideas 
with  the  demonstration  of  mere  fundamental  prin- 
ciples ;  we  see  that  it  moves  in  them  for  further 
evolution,  and  that  thus  the  World  of  heavenly 
bodies  serves  as  its  personality,  or  medium  only, 
through  which  this  object  is  to  be  accomplished. 
We  perceive  the  Spirit's  aim  to  be  the  demon- 
stration of  Existence,  Motion,  Life ;  and  a  glance 
over  the  surface  of  our  Earth  acquaints  us  with 
the  unmistakable  evidence  that  this  is  the  great 
mission  of  the  planet :  the  Evolution  of  Life, 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ESTABLISHMENT    OF    ORGANIZED    LIFE. 

Let  us  now  give  our  full  attention  to  this 
sphere  of  many  combinations  of  which  our  per- 
sonality is  one.  What  a  variety  and  abundance 
of  living  beings  do  we  find  around  us  !  —  all  chil- 
dren of  the  same  Earth,  formed  of  its  substance 
and  sustained  by  it.    How  did  all  this  life  originate  ? 

We  know  that  the  Earth  could  not  evolve  a 
single  creature  without  the  help  of  the  rays  of 
light  and  warmth  coming  from  the  Sun.  We 
become  aware  that  in  these  we  are  to  recognize 
the  bearers  of  the  life.  But  now  the  question 
occurs  to  us,  '*  Why  should  life  demand  the  exist- 
ence of  the  planets,  when  it  already  exists  without 
them  }  "  We  may  find  an  answer  :  We  know  that 
a  Law  exists  only  where  it  acts,  —  where  there  is 
an  object  for  its  demonstration.  For  example, 
the  Law  which  directs  that  twice  two  be  four, 
exists  only  where  this  number  of  things  is  present. 
Where  could  it  be  without  them  ?  This,  of  course, 
is  only  a  very  simple  feature;  but  we  know  that 


26 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


the  character  of  the  Spirit  remains  ever  the  same, 
pervading  its  smallest  and  its  greatest  features 
alike.  The  nature  of  one  determines  that  of  all : 
if  one  of  them  is  dependent  for  its  life  upon 
demonstration,  the  others  are  likewise.  Thus  we 
see  the  great  reason  for  the  existence  of  this  Uni- 
verse :  the  Spirit  does  not  feel  its  existence  other- 
wise than  through  the  demonstration  of  its  life  in 
a  personality.  We,  who  are  both  of  the  Spirit 
and  of  its  personality,  may  infer  from  this  that  the 
part  of  life  which  we  represent  in  the  Spirit  would 
likewise  be  unconscious  of  itself,  apparently  non- 
existent, if  it  were  not  projected  into  a  body  of 
some  kind  of  vibrating  substance.  Thus  can  the 
life  which  radiates  from  the  Sun  become  apparent 
to  itself  and  the  World  only  where  it  enters 
the  substance  and  conditions  necessary  for  the 
demonstration  of  its  character.  In  the  light  of 
this  observation  we  are  now  cognizant  of  the 
spiritual  cause  of  both  Sun  and  planets. 

To  explain  the  original,  the  innermost  nature  of 
this  life,  is,  of  course,  impossible.  It  remains 
hidden  to  the  personal  senses,  because  it  is  of  the 
Spirit ;  and  it  cannot  be  defined  by  the  spiritual, 
by  reason  of  its  being  so  axiomatic  that  an  explan- 
ation is  altogether  unnecessary.  We  know  that 
only  the  necessary  can  exist ;  therefore  we  may 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


27 


conclude  that  such  an  explanation  will  remain  an 
impossibility  forever.  Life  is  as  self-evident  as 
the  fact  that  a  moving  point  forms  a  line.  This 
also  is  inexplicable;  but,  this  truth  being  so 
simple,  the  mere  knowledge  of  the  same  is  suffi- 
cient. Now,  each  of  the  Spirit's  possibilities  is 
such  a  point,  a  well-defined  idea ;  it  continues,  it 
moves,  and  the  inexplicable,  because  self-evident, 
line  of  life  is  there.  As  the  Spirit  is  present  and  in 
motion  within  all  its  particles  of  substance,  so  does 
it  also  direct  the  combinations  which  it  forms  of 
these.  In  every  point  it  says,  "I  am."  These 
demonstrations  of  relationship  or  contrast,  as  we 
know,  constitute  its  life;  and  when  we  consider 
also  what  constitutes  its  character,  we  shall  see 
why  its  next  step  must  be  to  appear  in  the  various 
forms  of  living  creatures. 

We  understand  that  the  Spirit's  character,  from 
its  very  foundation,  is  that  of  oneness,  harmony. 
This  attribute  we  have  discovered  while  viewing 
the  foundation  of  its  World.  And  yet  we  per- 
ceive that  all  its  combinations  of  mere  matter  are 
constantly  dissolving  one  another,  forming  new 
ones,  and  that  none  remains  by  individual  effort 
intact.  Thus  we  see  that  matter  alone  can  form 
no  nucleus  for  further  evolution.  But  evolution 
is  the  Spirit's  object.     Why.?     Because  it  is  the 


28 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


29 


only  means   by  which  relationship   and   contrast 
are   brought   forth.     Now,   evolution   is   possible 
through   the  medium  only  of  superior   harmony, 
organhation.     Thus  we  observe,  that,  in  order  to 
create  a  greater  variety  of  contrast,  more  life,  the 
Spirit  reflects  into  the  World  more  of  its  charac- 
ter of  oneness.     It  establishes  among  its  various 
combinations   of  substances  harmonies   that   are 
more  powerful,  more  enduring,  than  the  rest,  by 
means  of  organizing  these  harmonies  and  giving 
them  individual  being,  so  that  each  may  remain 
clearly  defined  and  distinct  from  all  the  others. 
The  superior  force  through  which  it  thus  unites 
substance  into  organisms  is,  as  we  are   already 
aware,  evolved  in  the  Sun,  the  centralization  of 
vibrative  power.     Each  ray,  as  it  goes  out  from 
the   Sun,  is   possessed    of  the  higher   form   and 
degree  of  vibration  which  has  been  evolved  from 
the  union  of  all :  it  is  thus  the  representative  of 
a  superior   harmony.     Reaching   the   Earth,  the 
effect  of  these  rays  must  be  in  accordance.     Their 
vibrations  are   now,  by  virtue    of   their   superior 
adaptability,  enabled  to  enter  the  manifold  combi- 
nations  of   inner   motions   which   constitute   the 
substance  of  the  Earth.     Harmonizing  with  each 
such  combination  separately,  and  steadily  contin- 
uing their  action  upon  it,  these  vibrations  succeed 


in  giving  rise  within  the  same  to  that  superior 
harmony  of  motion  which  we  know  as  individual 
feeling,  or  soul  Thus  we  see  how  superior  har- 
mony of  vibration  in  substance  forms  a  new  kind 
of  relationship,  a  further  growth  of  existence 
through  the  establishment  of  greater  contrast. 

Through  organization  of  these  various  modes  of 
vibration  into  one  harmonious   power  their  ten- 
dency   to    maintain    themselves    against    foreign 
influences   has    become    concentrated    into    one 
which  has  the  strength  of  all  combined.     There 
is  thus  present,  not  only  the  greater  power,  but 
also  the  stronger  desire,  which  arises   from   the 
evolution   of   mere  vibrative  force   into   feeling; 
and,  thereby,  the  maintenance  of  the  organism  in 
the  midst  of  the  world  of  unorganized  matter  is 
doubly   insured.     The    creature   is   enabled,   not 
alone  to  resist  the  World  surrounding  it,  but  also 
to  absorb  from  the  same  such  substances  as  are 
required  for  continuance  as  an  individual  being. 
The  same  life-vibrations,  which,  through  the  heat 
which  they  produce,  cause  the  constant  emanation 
of  the  creature's  substance,  also  give  the  creature 
the  power  to  replenish  the  same,  and  more,  —  we 
see   that  the   being   reproduces  itself.     But   how 
comes  this  }     Does  it  absorb  more  life-vibrations 
than  it  can  hold,  and,  so  to  speak,  overflow  with 


' 


30  A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

life?  This  must  certainly  be  the  case.  We 
know  that  the  vibrations  of  substance  without  life, 
although  they  may  change  in  effect,  yet  never 
cease.  Therefore  we  may  infer  that  those  which 
bear  the  life  must  certainly  be  likewise  imperish- 
able.  Now,  as  these  enter  the  being  in  profusion, 
it  is  plain  that  they  must  give  way  to  one 
another;  and  so,  eventually,  they  influence  the 
creature  to  form,  of  its  own  substance,  bodies  of  a 
nature  similar  to  its  own.  In  these  young  bodies 
they  then  issue  forth  as  new  organisms. 

Why  does    the    Spirit   institute   this   process? 
Would  not  the  same   nucleus,  once   established, 
suffice  for  all  further  evolution  ?     We  must  con' 
sider  the  nature  of  its  combination  :  We  see  that 
the  inner  motion   of   the  creature,  its  power   of 
feeling,  is  kept  in  constant  exercise  through  all 
the  influences  which  are  being  brought  to  bear 
upon    the   creature.     Each  experience   leaves  its 
imprint.     Each   facilitates   the  reception   of   the 
one  following.     Now,  we  are  aware  that  the  com- 
bination of  substance  and  life-vibration  which  con- 
stitutes the  creature  clearly  defines  its  character 
and    consequent    manner    of    perception.      This 
means  that  the  creature  is  limited  to  one  certain 
variety   of    experiences.     What  lies   beyond   the 
being's  power  of  identification  cannot  act  upon  its 


A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF    THE   WORLD.  3 1 

powers  of  perception  and  feeling  with  the  result 
of  developing  these  beyond  their  limited  sphere 
of  consciousness.     Thus,  being   restricted  to  re- 
ceiving  always   the    same   kind   of    experiences, 
in   the  same  manner,  with  the  same  consequent 
impression,  the  creature's  inner  motion  gradually 
becomes  so  familiarized  with  them,  that,  finally, 
a  further  impression  upon  its  feeling,  or  conscious- 
ness, is  rendered  impossible.     The  power  of  inner 
motion    becomes    indifferent   through    continued 
sameness  of  demands  upon  it.     The  creature  at 
last  ceases  to  perceive  and  to  respond  to  them ;  it 
has  perfectly  absorbed  all  the  kinds  of  experiences 
which  were  possible  of  attainment  through    this 
body,  and   therefore   finds  cause   no   longer  for 
maintaining  it  as  an  organism.     Thus  we  see  that 
further  evolution  is  dependent  upon  reorganiza- 
tion, reproduction  of  body. 


A   SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD. 


33 


|l 


^ 


1 


CHAPTER  V. 

NATURE  OF  THE  PRIMITIVE  ORGANISMS  ;  CONDITION 

OF    THE   earth's    SURFACE    AT   TIME   OF 

THEIR   FIRST    APPEARANCE. 

We   will   now.    in    Spirit,    move    round   about 
among  these  various  lives  and  observe  how  they 
unfold.     Where  Shall  we  begin  .?     With  the  small- 
est, Simplest  being,  of  course.     But  how  is  this  to 
be  found  ?    To  be  sure,  not  through  the  eye  of 
the  personality.     We  may  magnify  our  power  of 
vision  as  everlastingly  as  though  we  wanted  to 
discover  the   smallest   point. -and   the   earliest 
form  of  life  does  not  appear.     One  ray  of  sun- 
shine and  a  point  of  matter  is  all  it  represents 
We  must  once  more  look  through  the  eye  of  the 
Spirit :  Is  there  a  highest  thought  >     No :  there 
IS  always  one  still  higher,  and  it  takes  a  creature 
to  think  it.     Therefore,  the  scale  of  life  is,  in  this 
direction,  without  limit.     Could  we  find  a  limit 
m  the   other  ?     We   find  the  scale  of  values  in 
general  to  be  without  end.     Whichever  value  we 
establish   as   the   starting  point   from   which   to 


count  degrees,  —  we  shall  always  find  the  same  to 
be  exactly  in  the  center  of  the  scale.  Degrees  of 
life  are  values,  also,  and  therefore  we  need  not 
further  look  for  the  lowest  nor  the  highest.  The 
various  lives,  like  all  the  other  demonstrations  of 
the  Spirit,  represent  the  idea  merely  of  relative 
degrees,  contrasts  amongst  one  another.  As  we 
shall  find  ourselves,  wherever  we  may  go,  always 
in  the  center  of  Space,  so,  no  matter  how  high 
we  may  rise,  shall  we  yet  be  in  the  center  of 
the  scale  of  life ;  and  thus  we  shall  never  be  able 
to  discern  either  end.  We  may,  however,  feel 
assured  beyond  a  doubt  that  each  being,  great  or 
small,  comes  to  the  World  with  a  mission  to  ful- 
fill, which  is  as. well  defined  as  the  creature  itself. 
There  has  been  a  call  of  necessity  for  each,  or  it 
could  not  come. 

Now,  as  we  are  not  able  to  identify  the  smallest, 
simplest  being,  we  will  content  ourselves  with 
surveying  the  general  characteristics  of  the  class 
to  which  it  must  belong:  The  lowest  form  of 
life  must  certainly  be  that  of  mere  vegetation. 
Wherever  the  life-vibrations  coming  from  the  Sun 
meet  with  the  required  conditions,  there  must 
result  a  corresponding  creature,  a  nucleus  for 
further  development.  The  life  of  those  which 
mark  the  primitive  stages  of  existence  must  be 


( 


34 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE   WORLD. 


A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


35 


simple  indeed.  These  beings  cannot  be  capable 
of  anything  beyond  striving  to  adhere  to  the 
environment  in  which  they  first  appeared,  absorb- 
ing from  the  same  whatever  harmonizes  with  their 
nature,  and  meantime  giving  birth  to  other  bodies 
of  their  kind  ;  then  their  own  dissolves  again  as 
quietly  and  quickly  as  it  came.  These  primitive 
beings  must  have  already  existed  upon  the  Earth 
long  before  the  elements  had  parted  sufficiently  to 
form  a  solid  surface  such  as  we  see  at  present. 
While  the  solar  vibrations,  which  are  never  lost, 
helped  in  the  gradual  separation  of  the  light  sub- 
stance from  the  heavy,  the  thin  from  the  dense, 
they  must  at  the  same  time  have  given  rise  within 
this  chaos  of  substance  to  a  great  variety  of  life. 

It  is,  of  course,  not  in  our  power  to  form  within 
our  mind  an  exact  picture  of  the  condition  in 
which  our  planet  was  when  the  first  signs  of  life 
made  their  appearance  here.  Nor  can  we  at  the 
present  time  obtain  any  reliable  information  con- 
cerning the  first  stages  of  unfoldment  through 
which  the  various  creatures  passed,  and  which 
have  eventually  led  to  the  great  variety  of  species 
as  they  now  appear  around  us.  But  we  may  rest 
assured  that  at  some  remote  time  each  species  was 
represented  by  creatures  of  the  most  primitive 
resources   only,  and   that  each  species  was  then 


compelled  to  evolve  the  faculties  which  charac- 
terize the  same,  slowly  and  through  the  individual 
effort  of  the  beings  representing  it.  For  the 
Spirit  expresses  in  its  creatures  the  Law  that  all 
powers  are  to  be  evolved  solely  through  the 
medium  of  experience  and  exercise.  The  first 
stages  in  the  evolution  of  planetary  life  may  be 
surmised  in  their  general  outline  only.  We  will 
make  an  attempt : 

We  may  imagine  the  Earth  to  have  been,  by 
reason  of  its  greater  heat  at  the  time,  without  a 
solid  crust.  Instead,  it  was  enveloped  by  a  num- 
ber of  strata  differing  from  one  another  with 
regard  to  density  of  substance,  the  most  attenu- 
ated stratum  forming  the  outermost  sphere.  The 
creatures  which  came  forth  in  this  region  received 
the  strongest  life-vibrations  and  the  least  sub- 
stance, —  were  therefore  the  most  active.  Then, 
in  their  order,  came  those  below  :  the  greater  the 
density  of  the  strata  in  which  they  came  forth, 
the  more  substance  was  theirs,  and  the  less  life. 
All  these  beings  now  floated  about  aimlessly, 
without  finding  any  permanent  hold;  for  there 
was  none.  Each,  however,  remained  in  or  near 
the  stratum  to  which  it  originally  belonged  by  its 
character  and  density  ;  and,  as  each  in  turn  trans- 
mitted to  its  offspring,  not  only  its  own  general 


36 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


i 


I 


4! 


nature,  but  also  some  of  the  powers  evolved 
during  its  individual  existence,  the  species  as  a 
whole  were  thus  naturally  enabled  to  keep  pace 
with  the  changing  conditions  of  their  environ- 
ment. So,  when  finally  a  solid  surface  formed, 
those  which  had  remained  at  the  bottom,  had 
already  rendered  themselves  equal  to  the  occasion 
by  having  evolved  the  various  kinds  of  roots 
which  this  new  condition  required  of  them.  Their 
life- vibrations  being  of  the  weaker  kind,  these 
creatures  were  more  dependent  upon  a  lasting 
hold ;  and  so,  in  following  their  tendency  to  take 
root  in  the  spot,  each  according  to  the  nature  of 
its  substance  and  environment,  they  gradually 
developed  into  the  various  species  known  as 
plants.  As  the  dense  vapor  hovering  over  this 
newly  formed  surface  became  more  and  more 
clarified,  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  ground 
assumed  its  irregular  altitudes,  some  plants 
became  exposed  to  the  influence  of  air  and 
consequent  stronger  life-vibrations,  while  the 
remainder  continued  below,  under  the  water. 
Thus  resulted  the  variety  of  land-  and  water-plants, 
differing  in  degree  of  unfoldment  and  delicacy, 
but,  originally,  of  the  like  nature.  We  may, 
indeed,  find  many  of  the  species  in  the  water 
represented  correspondingly  on  the  land  above. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE   WORLD.  37 

As  we  just  observed,  all  life  was  at  first  mere 
vegetation.     The  organisms  moving  about  in  the 
currents  of  their  different  strata  had  no  conscious- 
ness of  any  outer  motion ;  they  were  completely 
at  the  mercy  of  all  the  influences  that  came  to 
their  environments.     In  the   lower   strata  there 
was  more  tranquillity  by  reason  of  their  greater 
density.     The  creatures  living  there   partook   of 
this  nature  and,  as  we  have  seen,  fastened  them- 
selves  permanently  to   the    soil.     Those   in   the 
higher  regions,  however,  were  subjected  to  influ- 
ences more  disquieting ;  they  were  moved  about 
with  greater  violence.     At  the  same  time,  they 
themselves  had  been  more  favored  with  rays  of 
life-vibration,  were  comparatively  less  substantial, 
in  fact,  of  an  entirely  different  combination,  and 
possessed    more   activity   of    their    own.     Thus, 
while  those  below  were  settling  down  to  a  life  of 
tranquillity,  these  creatures  were,  in  the  course  of 
generations,   compelled,   from   both  without   and 
within,    to    adapt    themselves    to    an    existence 
altogether  different.     Of   course   they,  too,  were 
bent  upon  attracting  to  themselves  and  adhering 
to  whatever  came  within  their  reach  and  could 
serve  their  purpose.     That  part  of  their  surface 
which  was  the  most  receptive  performed  the  work 
of   absorption,  while  the  parts    surrounding   this 


38 


A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


A    SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF    THE   WORLD. 


39 


<h 


"mouth  "  became  more  and  more  employed  in  the 
work  of  adhering  to  that  which  was  to  be  fed 
upon.  Now,  while  being  tossed  about  in  violent 
currents,  the  creatures  continually  collided  with 
all  kinds  of  matter,  and  their  powers  of  adhesion 
received  the  corresponding  exercise,  which  had 
to  be  both  sudden  and  energetic.  That  which 
seemed  agreeable  was  drawn  and  held ;  the 
opposite  was,  with  equal  energy,  thrust  off. 
During  this  exercise  alternating  between  opposite 
directions  the  parts  employed,  of  course,  gradually, 
from  generation  to  generation,  grew  in  power, 
developed  into  individual  character  and  form,  and 
eventually  hardened  into  the  various  muscular 
limbs.  With  their  development  also  grew  their 
demands  for  gratification ;  and  so,  when  the 
elements  were  finally  separated  from  one  another 
as  we  see  them  now,  —  into  land,  water,  and  air, 
— there  was  to  be  found  in  each  a  variety,  not  alone 
of  plant  life,  but  also  of  beings  which  had  evolved 
the  power  of  self-directed  motion  from  place  to 
place.  Among  these,  as  among  the  former, 
the  plants,  we  find  certain  strong  resemblances 
between  species  of  one  element  and  those  of 
another,  proving  that,  originally,  their  natures 
were  similar.  Although  the  same  Spirit  dwells 
in  all  creatures,  whether  they  live  in  the  air,  the 


water,  or  upon  dry  soil,  the  latter  kind  are 
favored  with  the  best  conditions  for  the  unfold- 
ment  of  that  which  is  in  them.  We  will  therefore 
direct  our  chief  attention  to  the  evolution  of  life 
upon  land,  beginning,  of  course,  with  observing 
the  attainments  made  possible  on  the  lowest 
plane,  that  of  plant-life. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


41 


\i 


CHAPTER  VI. 


PLANT-LIFE. 


As  we  have  seen,  the  plant  is  the  organism 
which  is  favored  with  the  lowest  degree  of  activity. 
Its  life-vibrations  are  comparatively  slow  and 
weak;  but  they  are,  on  the  other  hand, proportion- 
ately sure  and  persistent.  In  its  concern  for  the 
preservation  of  self  in  the  midst  of  a  world  of 
change  and  motion,  it  fastens  more  and  more 
securely  to  such  favorable  spot  as  it  has  hap- 
pened to  drift  into.  Here  it  now  adapts  itself  as 
best  it  can  to  all  the  good  and  bad  influences  of 
its  locality.  In  compensation  for  this,  the  plant 
then  finds  itself  in  position  to  obtain  all  its 
requirements  without  further  effort  than  that  of 
reaching  out  below  and  above  ground  and  assimi- 
lating the  nourishment,  air,  and  sunshine  thus 
gathered  in.  Having  once  succeeded  in  establish- 
ing its  hold,  it  is  now  free  to  spread  itself  as  far 
as  its  power  of  growth  will  permit.  All  the  rest 
of  its  attention  is  left  to  direct  itself  towards  the 
maintenance  uf  its  character,  first  in  the  individ- 


ual self  and  then,  through   reproduction,  in  the 
species  to  which  the  plant  belongs. 

Now,  as  we  are  aware,  the  different  combinations 
of  substance  must,  from  the  very  start,  form  a 
variety  of  plants,  the  characters  of  which  likewise 
differ.  Also  do  the  various  climates  exert  their 
powerful  influence  towards  diversifying  character. 
These  two  particulars,  therefore,  cause  and  govern 
the  great  variety  of  vegetation  which  covers  the 
Earth.  Wind,  water,  animals,  and  man,  —  all 
have  then  done  their  part  towards  the  distribution 
of  the  seed,  and  have  thus  caused  its  growth  to 
become  promiscuous.  Look  into  a  garden  and 
behold  what  manifold  expressions  of  plant-life 
may  exist  and  thrive  in  close  proximity  to  one 
another :  Here  is  a  huge  pine-tree ;  close  by  we 
find  a  slender  grape-vine.  How  these  two  differ 
in  nature  and  appearance !  While  the  pine  uses 
almost  all  the  nourishment  which  it  absorbs,  for 
the  purpose  of  strengthening  and  enlarging  its 
roots,  trunk,  and  branches,  bearing  needles  for 
leaves,  and  hard,  dry  cones  for  fruit ;  the  grape- 
vine, on  the  contrary,  develops  so  much  root  and 
stem  only  as  is  required  for  passing  its  nourish- 
ment through,  forming  great  leaves  on  the  way 
and  gathering  the  greater  part  of  its  substance  at 
the  ends  in  the  form  of  juicy  berries.      Then  see 


42 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


43 


the  contrast  between  these  two  and  yonder  carrot, 
which  is  almost  all  root.  Again,  compare  the 
huge  stem  and  blossom  of  the  sun-flower  with  the 
cabbage-plant,  which  is  nearly  all  leaves.  Then 
contrast,  for  instance,  the  tulip  with  the  violet  : 
the  one,  holding  high  its  gaudy  blossom  of  weak 
odor ;  the  other,  hiding  in  modest  seclusion,  yet 
filling  the  air  with  delightful  perfume.  Indeed, 
on  closer  observation  it  appears  to  us  as  though 
every  characteristic  trait  that  we  can  conceive  of 
were  symbolized  in  some  species  of  plant,  —  as 
though  the  vegetable  plane  were,  so  to  speak,  the 
unconscious  reflector  of  the  animal  and  human 
characters.  Each  plant,  from  the  clinging  para- 
site to  the  sturdy,  independent  oak,  from  the 
offensive  carrion-flower  to  the  beautiful,  health- 
giving  rose,  suggests  to  us  some  particular  trait 
to  be  found  actively  demonstrated  on  the  planes 
above. 

To*  be  sure,  all  these  manifestations  of  distinct 
and  permanent  characteristics  in  plant-life  are  not 
maintained  by  what  we  call  deliberate,  conscious, 
individual  preference  ;  we  see  that  they  are  orig- 
inally determined  by  the  nature  of  the  substances 
and  life-vibrations  to  which  the  plants  owe  their 
existence.  Each  plant  then  maintains  its  individ- 
ual character  simply  because  it  cannot  have  any 


other ;  its  own  is  the  only  one  which  it  can  ever 
know  as  being  in  existence.  For,  the  same  roots 
which  help  the  plant  to  its  tranquil  life  of  self- 
indulgence,  also  hinder  it  from  coming  into  con- 
scious contact  with  the  various  other  characters 
with  which  it  is  surrounded.  Each  plant  remains 
in  the  midst  of  its  associates  an  isolated  being, 
limited  in  the  exercise  of  its  soul  to  the  simplicity 
and  sameness  of  experiences  which  characterize 
its  life.  Thus,  a  rose-bush,  no  matter  how  highly 
cultivated,  will  always  remain  but  a  rose-bush,  a 
senseless  plant  and  helpless  sufferer  of  all  the 
influences  which  may  be  brought  to  bear  upon  it. 
And  the  only  means  by  which  it  can  give  voice  to 
its  inner  life,  are  its  vibrations  of  odor,  —  emana- 
tions of  its  own  substance,  which,  however  beau- 
tiful they  may  be,  are  still  the  most  primitive  of 
individual  life-manifestations.  Thus  we  see  that 
on  this  line  of  evolution  the  organism  is  not 
designed  for  any  higher  attainment  than  that  of 
developing  into  beauty  and  perfection  as  a  plant. 
On  this  plane  the  Spirit  establishes  character  and 
feeling  as  rudimentary  ideas  only.  We  find  plant- 
life  to  be  but  a  foretokening  of  that  which  is  to 
come;  it  is  a  preliminary  manifestation,  though 
nevertheless  an  important  link  in  the  great  chain 
of  evolution. 


44 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


Observe  how  the  manner  in  which  the  organism 
endeavors  to  gratify  its  desire  for  self-preservation 
at  the  same  time  decides  the  limit  of  its  un- 
foldment.  The  same  tendency  which  leads  the 
creatures  to  fasten  themselves  permanently  to 
foreign  substance,  eventually  hinders  them  from 
rising  out  into  a  higher  sphere  of  life. 

We  see,  then,  that  life  may  be  further  evolved 
only  through  improving  its  manner  of  preserva- 
tion ;  and  this  improvement  must,  in  the  present 
instance,  consist  in  introducing  into  the  creature's 
life  the  idea  of  letting  go  its  hold  and  moving 
from  the  spot.  Forced,  involuntary  motion  will 
not  do  :  it  must  be  self-directed. 

This  power  of  independent  motion  requires  that 
the  creatures  possessing  the  same  be  more  con- 
scious of  existence  than  the  plant ;  they  must  be 
favored  with  a  higher  form  of  life,  and  conse- 
quently also  with  a  superior  kind  of  body.  .  Their 
general  nature  has  already  become  apparent  to  us 
during  our  study  of  the  conditions  which  first 
caused  them  to  take  form.  There  we  saw  that 
these  creatures,  the  animals,  indeed  originate 
from  a  superior  kind  of  germs;  that  they  have, 
from  the  very  beginning,  been  favored  with  a 
greater  share  of  life-vibrations  as  well  as  with  a 
body  constituting  a  superior  combination  of  sub- 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


45 


stance.  The  animals,  being  thus  altogether  of  a 
higher  nature,  constitute  a  plane  of  life  clearly 
distinguishable  from  that  of  plant-life,  —  a  higher 
plane.  At  the  same  time,  however,  we  perceive 
that  the  various  species  of  animals  differ  among 
one  another,  like  those  of  the  plants,  not  alone  as 
to  inner  activity,  or  life-vibration,  but  just  as 
much  in  respect  to  the  original  combination  of 
the  substances  from  which  they  came  forth.  This 
fact  is  evidenced  alone  by  the  difference  in  the 
character  of  nourishment  required  by  the  various 
species.  We  will,  then,  continue  our  tour  and 
enter  the  kingdom  of  the  animals. 


\ 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD.  4/ 


CHAPTER  VII. 

DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  ANIMAL  BODY. 

Great  are  the  possibilities  contained  within 
the  idea  of  independent  motion.  Increased  mo- 
tion truly  means  increased  life.  Let  us,  then, 
give  our  first  attention  to  the  evolution  which  this 
higher  mode  of  life  effects  in  the  body  of  the 
creature.  We  may  take  for  granted  that  animal- 
life,  like  that  of  the  plants,  was  represented  from 
the  very  start  by  a  great  number  and  variety  of 
specimens  at  the  same  time ;  for  the  Earth,  being 
round,  and  performing  revolutions  of  a  regular 
character,  was  enabled  by  the  help  of  the  Sun  to 
offer  favorable  conditions  simultaneously  in  the 
whole  circumference  of  various  latitudes.  Now, 
in  their  primitive  stages  of  evolution,  as  we  have 
already  observed,  these  beings  can  have  had  in 
operation  no  other  force  which  distinguished  them 
from  the  plant,  than  the  mere  power  of  motion. 
We  are  aware  that  they  had  also  a  greater  power 
of  inner  motion  ;  but  their  animal-faculties  were 
still  all  in  the  germ,  awaiting  their  development 


in  accordance  with  the  Law,  which  says,  "  Growth 
through  Exercise." 

These  creatures  now  moved  about  promiscu- 
ously, bent  upon  obtaining  the  wherewith  to  pre- 
serve their  lives.  Their  waste  of  tissue  being 
greater  than  that  of  the  plant,  and  their  bodies 
being  thus  designed  to  feed  upon  other  life,  they 
were  compelled,  from  the  start,  to  aggressiveness 
toward  the  outer  world;  each  preying  upon  the 
other,  each,  in  turn,  was  forced  to  fight  for  the 
preservation  of  its  own  existence.  It  is  only  nat- 
ural, that,  in  the  course  of  such  repeated  demands 
upon  the  animal's  sudden  and  energetic  activity, 
every  power  of  which  the  animal  was  capable 
gradually,  in  the  course  of  generations,  evolved 
into  full  growth,  each  faculty  establishing  and 
developing  for  its  permanent  use  a  special  organ. 
So,  from  at  first  sensing  the  other  beings  upon 
contact  merely,  that  is,  feeling  and  tasting  them, 
the  animal  soon  began  to  perceive  them  at  a  little 
distance,  through  the  vibrations  of  odor.  Then  it 
developed  the  faculty  for  receiving  knowledge 
coming  from  sources  more  remote,  in  the  form  of 
sound;  and,  finally,  it  placed  itself  in  conscious 
correspondence  with  the  delicate  vibrations  of 
light.  The  comparative  degree  of  development 
attained  by  the  various  species  in  their  organs  is, 


Jl 


[■ 


11 


' 


48  A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

of  course,  determined  by  their  respective  environ- 
ments as  well  as  by  the  nature  of  the  creatures 
with  which    each    species   is    in    correspondence. 
The   arrangement  of  these  organs   amongst  one 
another  is,  however,  generally  the   same   in  all ; 
there   is    everywhere    expressed    the   one   law  of 
practicability.     The  senses   are   always  found  in 
close   proximity  to   one   another;    they  are   out- 
growths of  one  great  nerve-center,  the  brain,  and 
are  invariably  situated   where  their  services   are 
the  most  needed   and  where    they  are  the   most 
efficacious  :  in  the  front  part  of  the  body,  forming 
the  head.     The  limbs  of  the  animal  have  adjusted 
themselves  preeminently  to  one  kind  of  exercise, 
—  the  forward    motion.     This,  we  see,  is    deter- 
mined   by  the   location    of   the    mouth;   for   the 
motion  itself  is  executed  by  the  animal  for  the 
particular  purpose  of  bringing  its  mouth  in  con- 
tact   with    articles    of    food.     Thus,    the    mouth 
remains    the    foremost    feature.    "Then,    the    air 
which  the  animal  is  to  absorb  must  be  as  fresh  as 
can    be   obtained;    therefore    also   the    breathing 
apparatus  opens  out  into  the  front,  at  the  most 
favorable  spot.     Naturally,  the  organ  of  smell  is 
located  within  this  opening.     Here  it  is  to  exam- 
ine the  incoming  air,  not  with   regard  to  whole- 
someness  merely,  but  also  in  order  to  discover  the 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


49 


direction  in  which  the  animal  must  move  to  find 
its  food.  Now,  it  is  not  enough  that  the  nose  be 
in  front :  it  must  be  so  situated  that  it  may  serve 
at  the  same  time  in  the  best  possible  manner  in 
the  process  of  examining  the  food  before  this  lat- 
ter is  taken  into  the  body.  Thus  we  find  the  nose 
always  immediately  above  the  mouth.  In  like 
manner  we  may  trace  the  causes  for  the  particular 
location  of  eyes  and  ears.  In  fact,  there  is  in  the 
animal's  body  not  an  organ  that  has  not  received 
its  place  according  to  the  dictates  of  the  Spirit's 
clearly  defined  wisdom.  So,  for  instance,  the  tail, 
which,  though  last,  is  by  no  means  the  least  in 
importance :  See  how  many  different  uses  this 
appendix  must  serve  in  the  various  species  of  ani- 
mals :  The  pigeon  steers  its  flight  with  it ;  the 
horse  uses  it  as  a  protector  against  injurious 
insects;  the  monkey  employs  it  in  climbing;  — 
we  may  find  many  other  important  services  which 
are  rendered  by  this  feature.  But  its  origin,  gen- 
erally speaking,  must  certainly  be  the  same  in  all 
species.  Considering  that  all  the  perceptive  fac- 
ulties of  the  animal  are  located  in  the  fore-part  of 
the  body,  the  rear  portion  seems  comparatively 
little  guarded ;  and  this  circumstance  must  have 
furnished  the  principal  motive  for  the  appearance 
of   the   appendix.      Unconsciously  to  the   animal 


so 


A   SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


51 


^* 


itself,  the  instinctive  knowledge  of  being  unable 
to  keep  properly  in  its  view  the  rear  of  its  body, 
must  have  led  the  creature  to  the  establishment 
of  something  that  might  act  as  a  kind  of  prelim- 
inary guard.  So,  this  tentacle  appeared,  in  order 
to  serve  chiefly  the  purpose  of  giving  the  animal 
timely  warning  of  all  dangers  that  threaten  in  that 
immediate  vicinity ;  the  body  may  thus  receive 
the  necessary  attention  also  in  that  quarter. 

Looking  about,  we  find  that  many  of  the  spe- 
cies foremost  in  development  have  the  finest  and 
largest  tails.  See  the  beautiful  tail  of  the  fox, 
the  Newfoundland  dog,  the  horse,  and  the  long 
and  nimble  tail  of  the  cat,  the  monkey,  etc. ;  then, 
the  glory  of  the  peacock,  bird  of  paradise,  parrot. 

Another  proof  of  the  great  importance  of  this 
last  of  the  bodily  features  of  the  animal  is  the 
fact,  that,  depriving  an  animal  of  its  tail,  means 
destroying  its  beauty  as  a  creature.  For,  what 
the  eye  of  one  who  is  in  harmony  with  nature 
recognizes  anywhere  as  beauty,  is  harmony ;  and 
harmony  means  that  all  essentials  are  present  and 
active.  When,  therefore,  a  creature  appears  to 
the  eye  of  the  correct  observer  as  being  in  any 
respect  less  beautiful  than  it  was  before,  we  may 
know  that  the  former  harmony  has  given  place  to 
a  certain  discord ;  that  one  or  more  of  the  essen- 


tial parts  of  the  creature  have  disappeared ;  and 
that,  in  proportion  to  how  far  the  creature  has 
lost  its  beauty,  it  must  have  lost  also  its  efficiency. 
In  every  feature  distinguishing  the  animal  from 
the  plant  we  perceive  the  mighty  influence  which 
a  life  of  motion  exerts  upon  the  animal-body. 
Increased  perception  of  danger  means  improve- 
ment of  the  contrivances  for  insuring  safety. 
How  vastly  more  active  the  desire  for  self- 
preservation  is  in  the  animal  than  it  could  ever  be 
in  the  plant,  is  shown  also  in  the  care  which  the 
former  bestows  upon  its  offspring.  The  lowest 
species,  of  course,  being  the  weakest  of  percep- 
tion, look  no  more  to  the  welfare  of  their  seed, 
after  this  has  left  them,  than  does  the  plant ;  they 
content  themselves  with  laying  great  numbers  of 
eggs.  The  animals  of  higher  development,  for 
instance,  birds,  guard  their  eggs  and  tend  to  them 
until  the  young  come  forth  ;  then  they  transfer 
their  care  to  the  young,  until  these  are  able  to 
look  out  for  themselves.  These  species,  there- 
fore, need  not  and  cannot  have  so  great  a  number 
of  offspring  as  the  former.  We  are  aware  that 
the  animals  of  the  species  most  advanced  in  the 
scale  of  evolution  retain  their  young  within  them- 
selves, not  letting  the  same  appear  in  the  outer 
world  until  the  organism  is  so  far  perfected  as  to 


52 


A   SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE   WORLD. 


53 


t 


be  in  readiness  for  independent  motion.  The 
nobler  the  species,  the  more  time  and  care  do  the 
parents  bestow  upon  their  young,  and  the  smaller 
is  the  number  produced ;  for,  the  call  of  necessity 
for  reproduction  in  the  interest  of  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  species  limits  itself  in  accordance  with 
the  amount  of  protection  extended  towards  the 
offspring. 

We  observe  still  another  prominent  feature 
which  distinguishes  the  animal-body  from  the 
plant :  while  the  latter  gives  evidence  of  its  inner 
life  through  the  substantial  vibrations  of  odor, 
the  animal-body  has,  in  addition  to  this  kind  of 
manifestation,  acquired  power  over  the  more 
far-reaching,  more  penetrating,  vibrations  of  sound. 
These  being  of  a  higher  order,  the  animal  has  a 
far  wider  range  of  facility  for  making  itself  known. 
The  sound  thus  originating  within  the  body  by 
the  volition  of  the  creature  is  likewise  but  a 
product  of  the  idea  of  motion  :  it  comes  forth  as 
evidence  of  the  greater  activity,  the  stronger 
feeling,  within  the  being.  And,  as  we  are  enabled 
to  discern  the  character  of  the  harmony  within 
each  plant  through  the  medium  of  odor,  so  may 
we  perceive  the  inner  state  of  the  animal  by 
taking  note  of  the  sound  of  its  voice.  Observe 
the  difference  between  the  grunt  of  the  pig,  the 


purring  of  the  cat,  the  nightingale's  song,  and  the 
roar  of  the  lion  !  Each  species  of  animal  has  a 
different  idea  of  the  same  world;  each  reflects 
the  conditions  of  life  in  accordance  with  its  own 
power  of  inner  perception.  The  lion,  for  instance, 
in  whose  make-up  the  propensity  to  destroy  is 
powerfully  represented,  for  that  reason  perceives 
less  of  the  World's  harmony  ;  and,  in  consequence, 
the  lion's  voice  has  a  less  harmonious,  less  agree- 
able sound  than  the  voice  of  the  gentler  animals, 
as,  for  instance,  the  birds  of  song.  A  careful 
study  of  the  lives  and  voices  of  the  various 
animal  species  will  show  us  that  each  trait  of 
character  exerts  its  distinct  influence  upon  the 
character  of  the  voice ;  and  this  latter  changes 
with  the  degree  of  activity  to  which  the  various 
propensities  are  aroused.  Thus  is  called  forth 
the  endless  variety  of  sounds  expressing  the 
animal's  craving  and  gratification,  distress  and 
delight,  discord  and  harmony. 

Herewith  we  have  obtained  a  general  view  of 
the  powers  which  the  animal-soul  has  developed 
in  its  instrument,  the  body.  Now  we  will  look 
into  the  manner  in  which  the  soul  itself  evolves. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


LIFE    OF    THE    ANIMAL    SOUL. 

Although  the  soul  equips  its  body  with  the 
various  perceptive  powers  for  the  purpose  of 
insuring  proper  guidance  in  the  direction  of 
safety  and  general  well-being,  we  find  that  these 
physical  senses  cannot  be  the  only  means  by 
which  the  animals  obtain  their  knowledge.  We 
find  that  these  latter  are  aware  of  the  coming 
storm,  earthquake,  volcanic  eruption,  and  other 
great  disturbances  in  Nature  long  before  any 
danger  can  become  apparent  to  the  physical 
senses.  We  see  the  swallow  returning  to  the 
same  nest  from  which  it  went  forth  months  ago ; 
in  the  meantime,  it  has  been  a  thousand  miles 
away  from  it.  A  dog  will  find  a  lost  person, 
although  the  animal  is  guided  apparently  by 
nothing  but  the  recollection  of  the  odor  of  some- 
thing which  that  person  has  worn.  It  is  plain, 
that  the  senses  of  the  body  cannot  reach  beyond 
the  physical  horizon,  nor  into  the  future.  There- 
fore, we  see  that  the  powers  of  the  soul  are  not 


A   SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


ss 


restricted  to  acting  within  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  the  animal,  but  that  the  soul  perceives  also 
without  using  the  senses  of  the  body ;  it  has  its 
own  peculiar  eye,  and  the  instructions  coming  to 
the  animal  through  this  mode  of  perception  are,  as 
we  know,  followed  implicitly.  They  are  the 
promptings  of  what  we  call  the  "instinct."  This 
mysterious  faculty  of  seeing  through  the  eye  of 
the  soul  is,  however,  not  to  be  regarded  as  an 
achievement  of  the  creatures  that  possess  it ;  the 
same  is  already  to  be  found  as  an  essential  feature 
in  the  life  of  the  plant.  Without  this  guide  it 
would  be  utterly  impossible  to  the  flower,  for 
instance,  to  adapt  itself  so  wonderfully  to  the 
nature  of  the  visiting  insects,  and  to  contrive 
within  the  blossom  the  complicated  mechanism 
that  induces  these,  whether  they  will  or  not,  to 
gratify  the  plant's  desire  for  cross-fertilization 
with  others  of  its  species.  The  reason  why  the 
animal  retains  its  mediumistic  quality  lies  in  the 
fact  that  the  intellect  is  still  comparatively 
inactive.  The  power  of  thought  is  not  yet 
awakened  to  such  a  degree  as  to  conceal  original 
impressions  within  the  animal's  mind  by  covering 
them  with  new  pictures.  Though  the  creature 
remains  comparatively  bare  of  the  more  compli- 
cated knowledge,  it  continues  in  perfect  harmony 


56 


A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


.  It 


with  the  pure  and  simple  laws  which  guide  its 
life;  and,  being  constantly  under  the  direct 
influence  of  the  raw  elements,  it  is  only  neces- 
sary and  just,  that,  whenever  circumstances  require 
more  knowledge  than  the  animal  can  obtain 
through  its  physical  senses,  this  knowledge 
should  come  to  the  soul  directly  from  the  source 
of  Nature  herself.  Here  we  are  again  forcibly 
reminded  of  the  fact  that  the  soul  is  not  the 
creation  of  the  brain,  but  that  the  latter  is  created 
by  the  soul. 

The  first  qualities  brought  into  play  by  the 
soul  are,  of  course,  the  lowest  in  the  scale ;  we 
call  them  the  ** animal  propensities."  As  we  have 
already  noted,  the  foremost  of  these  is  the  desire 
for  acquisition  of  substance :  the  animal  wants  to 
eat  and  drink  to  sustain  its  life ;  therefore  it 
must  provide  for  itself  the  necessary  substance. 
Now,  in  the  animal-world  the  conditions  for 
obtaining  the  required  nourishment  are  not  always 
favorable.  Thus  we  see  the  animals  compelled 
to  lay  up  stores  of  food  and  to  hide  the  same 
away.  The  faculty  which  prompts  and  enables 
them  to  do  this,  we  know  by  the  term  "secretive- 
ness."  We  have  seen  also  that  the  desire  for 
self  preservation  forces  each  animal  into  an 
attitude   of    aggressiveness    towards    its    fellow- 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE   WORLD. 


57 


creatures ;  it  is  compelled,  both  to  fight  and  to 
defend  itself ;  it  exercises,  in  addition  to  the 
former  faculties,  also  those  of  combativeness, 
destructiveness,  firmness  and  caution. 

We  observe,  that,  next  to  the  desire  for  pres- 
ervation of  self,  the  mightiest  impulse  in  the 
animal  is  that  for  the  maintenance  of  the  species. 
As  the  degree  of  consciousness  increases,  we  find 
the  animal  more  sensible,  not  alone  to  the  dangers 
besetting  its  individual  being,  but  also  of  those 
which  menace  its  offspring.  The  animal  finds  it 
necessary  to  extend  its  care  for  individual  safety 
and  well-being  also  to  its  young;  its  desire  for 
maintenance  of  the  species  evolves  into  love  for 
the  particular  young  which  it  brings  forth  ;  it  pro- 
vides for  its  offspring.  A  secluded  place  must 
be  found  where  they  may  be  raised  in  safety  ;  a 
home  is  established,  and  the  parents  are  impelled 
to  continue  in  each  other's  company.  While  the 
female  attends  to  her  duties  as  mother,  protecting 
the  young  and  watching  over  the  home,  her  mate 
provides  the  food  and  protects  the  whole  estab- 
lishment. Thus  are  evolved  the  faculties  of 
inhabitiveness,  continuity,  and  conjugal  love. 

With  many  animals,  the  establishment  of  a 
home  means  the  building  of  one ;  birds  must  build 
their  nests  ;  foxes,  spiders,  etc.,  must  all  construct 


58 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


59 


their  respective  abodes.  Thus  we  see  the  intel- 
lectual faculties  of  constructiveness,  ideality,  and 
imitation  come  forth  in  active  demonstration.  In 
fact,  when  we  look  more  carefully  into  the  lives 
of  the  various  animals,  we  become  aware  that 
each  faculty  of  the  intellect  is  here  represented  in 
some  one  or  more  species,  to  the  degree  deter- 
mined by  the* relations  existing  between  the  spe- 
cies and  their  surroundings.  We  find  that  the 
senses  of  locality,  tune,  and  time,  the  facility  for 
observing  size,  form,  color,  weight,  for  perceiving 
the  order  of  things,  comparing  these  with  one 
another,  and  remembering  both  objects  and  the 
events  connected  with  the  same,  —  are  all  pres- 
ent. Even  the  highest  of  the  intellectual  powers, 
that  of  tracing  cause  and  effect,  is  not  missing; 
for  there  is  abundant  evidence  that  this  faculty, 
too,  here  and  there  comes  forth  and  helps  the 
animal.  These  powers  are,  of  course,  all  evolved 
direct  through  the  medium  of  the  various  physical 
senses. 

Here  our  attention  is  arrested  by  an  additional 
feature :  We  have  observed  that  the  animal  has 
obtained  power  over  the  vibrations  of  sound. 
Now,  as  the  creature  moves  about,  it  cannot 
always  remain  in  line  of  vision  with  its  compan- 
ions.    Family-life,  for  instance,  demands  that  the 


(9 


animals  be  constantly  informed  of  one  another's 
whereabouts.  Where  this  information  cannot  be 
obtained  through  the  power  of  vision,  some  other 
means  must  be  resorted  to.  Thus,  as  a  substi- 
tute, the  sense  of  hearing  is  placed  in  correspond- 
ence with  the  powers  of  the  voice  :  certain  sounds 
are,  by  instinctive  and  mutual  understanding, 
connected  with  certain  meanings ;  the  animals 
receive  intelligence  from  each  other  without  the 
aid  of  vision  ;  they  cultivate  this  means  of  com- 
munication, and  thus  originates  the  power  of 
speech. 

There  are  as  many  different  environments  as 
there  are  species  of  animals  to  live  in  them ; 
and,  as  we  see,  the  general  development  of  each 
animal  corresponds  with  the  position  which  the 
creature  occupies  in  the  World.  The  fox,  for 
instance,  which  preys  chiefly  upon  birds  and  other 
nimble  animals,  must  continually  exercise  an 
extraordinary  degree  of  cunning.  The  swallow, 
which  must  travel  to  and  fro  between  its  little 
home  in  the  north  and  the  far  off  southern  coun- 
tries, has  a  correspondingly  strong  development 
of  the  sense  of  locality.  The  spider  is  known  for 
its  great  ingenuity  in  contriving  and  constructing. 
Each  of  the  propensities,  the  selfish  as  well  as 
the  social,  and  each  intellectual  faculty,  is  thus 


I 


6o 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


I 


I 

■  I 


I 


particularly  emphasized  above  the  others  in  some 
one  or  more  species. 

We  observe  that  the  animals  of  many  species 
have  not  extended  their  consideration  to  the  family- 
life  merely,  but  that  their  whole  families  unite 
in  herds  and  flocks.  Of  course,  this  union  forms 
itself  within  the  species  only.  The  desire  for  this 
mode  of  living  arises  from  the  individual's  instinct- 
ive perception  of  its  weakness  as  compared  with 
the  power  of  the  enemy.  We  see  even  wolves 
combine  against  the  stronger  creature.  This 
tendency  is,  however,  in  many  cases  also  an 
evidence  of  higher  development  of  soul.  We 
observe  that  elephants,  monkeys,  —  many  species 
of  animals  of  a  high  nature,  —  likewise  travel  in 
herds.  Let  us  direct  our  attention  to  those  of  the 
latter  class  :  These,  we  find,  are  drawn  into  one 
another's  society,  not  alone  through  the  instinct- 
ive knowledge  that  greater  safety  is  obtained 
through  life  in  union  with  others  of  their  kind, 
but  they  show  that  they  cultivate  this  sociability 
also  for  its  own  sake.  This  .is  the  primitive 
expression  of  the  faculty  of  friendship.  They  rec- 
ognize one  another  as  being  of  the  like  nature 
and  as  being  placed  in  the  like  relationship  to  the 
animals  of  other  species.  Their  natures  being  so 
perfectly  similar  that  each  sees  itself  reflected  in 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


6i 


those  of  its  kind,  they  all-together  practically  join 
to  represent  but  one  soul,  the  dictates  of  which 
being  implicitly  obeyed  by  each  individual.  Thus 
we  see  the  first  appearance  of  organization  among 
separate  full-grown  creatures.  One  of  the  herd 
is  elevated  to  the  position  of  leader  and  guardian 
of  all  the  rest.  This  animal  now  looks  after  the 
welfare  of  its  companions,  and,  in  return,  receives 
their  acknowledgement  of  its  superiority  ;  for  they 
follow  and  obey.  In  the  ability  of  the  animal 
to  recognize  a  leader  we  note  the  first  indica- 
tion of  the  presence  of  moral  sentiment  in  the 
animal-world ;  we  observe  the  primitive  expres- 
sion of  the  faculty  of  veneration.  The  holding 
of  a  position  of  superiority  implies  the  presence 
of  the  feeling  of  confidence  in  self  as  well  as 
firmness  of  will ;  while  the  responsibility  attend- 
ing this  position  of  trust  necessitates  conscien- 
tiousness in  the  leader  as  well  as  in  the  herd  which 
is  to  follow  him.  Where  there  is  difference  in 
station,  there  is  also  a  certain  degree  of  ambition. 
We  further  note,  that,  in  extending  his  attention 
beyond  his  own  immediate  interests  to  those  of 
the  whole  herd,  or  flock,  the  leader  gives  evidence 
of  an  inclination,  however  faint,  towards  the  exer- 
cise of  benevolence.  As  his  companions  perceive 
the  benefit  obtained  in  consequence  of  his  leader- 


I 


62 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


ship,  they  become  disposed  to  the  feeling  of  con- 
fidence, faith, — the  twin-sister  of  hope.  We 
may  make  these  observations  while  watching,  for 
instance,  the  chickens :  see  how  the  rooster  pro- 
vides for  his  wards,  how  he  calls  them  when  he 
has  made  a  lucky  find,  and  how  these  gather  con- 
fidingly around  him. 

How  far  the  highest  faculties  of  the  soul,  the 
powers  of  moral  judgment,  are  developed  in  the 
animal-world,  may  be  particularly  observed  in  the 
social  life  of  such  as  elephants  and  monkeys, 
which  hold  veritable  courts  of  justice:  an  indi- 
vidual has  been  accused  of  violating  one  of  the 
important  laws  of  the  community;  there  is  a 
general  meeting;  judge,  accuser,  and  defence,— 
all  are  present;  evidence  is  taken;  and  then, 
after  an  excited  controversy,  when  the  culprit  has 
been  judged  guilty,  he  is  forthwith  expelled  from 
the  herd,  which  thereupon  leaves  the  place.     He 

follows  at  a  distance,  crying  in   his  distress; 

he  had  /loped  to  be  acquitted. 

Thus  we  see,  that,  in  the  animal  world,  not 
only  all  the  selfish,  social,  and  intellectual  facul- 
ties are  represented,  but  also  every  one  of  the 
moral  sentiments  ;  —  each  one  with  special  force 
in  some  particular  species.  How  would  this 
social   life  which  we   observe    among   the   more 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


63 


highly  developed  animals  be  possible,  if  they  had 
not  moral  perception  ?  For,  the  higher  senti- 
ments are  really  nothing  else  than  the  perception 
of  the  laws  which  bring  forth  and  sustain  a  com- 
munity. 

But  now  the  question  arises  within  us,  "  If  the 
animal-world  possesses  all  the  faculties  which 
characterize  the  human  being,  —  why,  then,  does 
neither  the  social,  nor  the  individual  condition  of 
the  animals  admit  of  any  further  evolution  ? " 
We  see,  that,  as  a  plant  must  ever  remain  a  plant, 
so  an  elephant  remains  an  elephant,  a  dog  can 
never  be  aught  but  a  dog,  and  so  forth  ;  each  ani- 
mal, no  matter  how  highly  it  evolves  its  faculties, 
is  still  restricted  to  its  original  nature,  —  ever 
remaining  but  an  animal.  Evolution  has  once 
more  reached  a  limit.     Why  ? 

We  observed,  while  contemplating  the  life  of 
the  plant,  how  the  limit  of  evolution  on  that  plane 
is  determined  by  the  manner  in  which  the  plant 
obeys  the  impulse  of  self-preservation.  We  saw, 
that,  in  the  plants,  further  evolution  is  impossible 
by  reason  of  their  nature  as  beings  without  the 
power  of  independent  motion ;  and  that  the 
higher  life  comes  into  existence  only  through  giv- 
ing to  the  creature  this  power  and  also  the  nature 
to  make  use  of  it.     Now  let  us  take  a  view  in 


64 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


i 

i 


general  outline  of  the  conditions  prevailing  among 
the  animals  :  We  have  seen  how  each  species 
is  differently  constituted  from  the  very  start. 
While  the  plant-species,  in  their  tranquil,  station- 
ary existence,  represent  the  various  traits  of  char- 
acter in  the  form  merely  of  reflections,  and 
pictures,  or  symbols;  we  find  the  animals,  by 
reason  of  the  higher  consciousness  resulting 
from  their  life  of  motion,  able  to  demonstrate 
these  traits  as  living  realities.  Each  kind  of  ani- 
mal represents  certain  traits  of  character  as  they 
appear  in  active  form,  in  life ;  but  not  a  single 
animal  ever  proceeds  to  develop  within  itself  any 
of  the  faculties  in  which  the  other  species  excel. 
Each  species  restricts  itself  to  those  characteris- 
tics with  which  it  happens  to  be  favored  from  the 
beginning,  and  can  rise  no  further  in  the  scale  of 
life  and  power.  Why  ?  Because  there  is  no  pos- 
sibility of  any  perfect  cooperation  among  the 
various  species.  Neither  of  them  is  qualified  for 
forming  such  a  union  with  other  species  as  would 
be  required  for  the  transmission  of  powers  from 
one  to  the  other.  The  souls  representing  the 
various  species  of  animals,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  they  are  of  the  same  Spirit  and  perme- 
ated with  the  like  general  motive,  are  as  different 
from  one  another  as  are  their  bodies.     Being  so 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


6s 


vastly  different,  and  at  the  same  time  so  power- 
fully prompted  to  assert  their  respective  individu- 
alities at  one  another's  expense,  these  species 
remain  blind  to  one  another's  inner  natures,  and 
can  thus  never  become  cognizant  of  advantages 
contained  in  traits  which  they  themselves  do  not 
already  possess.  Each  animal,  therefore,  remains 
content  with  strictly  adapting  itself  to  the  sphere 
in  which  it  came  forth ;  because,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, departure  from  the  same  would  result 
in  the  destruction  of  the  creature.  The  animal, 
like  the  plant,  may  make  its  own  individuality 
more  pronounced  ;  but  that  is  all. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  cause  which  bars  the 
further  evolution  of  life  on  the  animal  plane  is 
similar  to  that  through  which  the  powers  of  the 
plant  are  limited  :  As  the  plant  continues  a  solitary 
being  upon  its  piece  of  earth,  so  the  animal-soul 
remains  fixed  within  the  solitude  of  its  particular 
species.  Further  evolution  of  life  is  possible 
only  through  the  introduction  of  more  freedom, 
more  independence  of  motion.  But  this  requires 
the  establishment  of  more  harmony.  Now,  it  is 
plain  that  the  conditions  existent  in  the  animal- 
world  are  there  to  stay  ;  that  the  animal-species, 
by  their  very  constitution,  are  forced  to  continue 
alternately  preying  upon  one  another  and  getting 


I 

11 


1; 


66 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


» 


out  of  one  another's  way.  The  spiritual  atmos- 
phere of  their  world  can  never  change ;  they 
know  of  none  other,  and  it  is  impossible  for  any 
of  them  to  rise  out  of  its  twilight  into  a  brighter 
and  larger  sphere  of  existence.  The  spark  of 
life  within  them  is  not  powerful  enough  to  show 
them  that  there  is  a  way  beyond.  Not  even 
those  animals  which  live  in  the  more  peaceful  and 
harmonious  circumstances  surrounding  the  human 
family,  can  understand  the  higher  life  sufficiently 
to  grow  into  the  same.  The  noble  dog,  for 
instance,  although  it  has  evolved  some  of  the 
highest  faculties,  such  as  veneration  and  faithful- 
ness, to  a  degree  of  power  not  exceeded  in  the 
human,  still  remains  within  its  own  sphere,  by 
natural  preference.  This  creature  will  sacrifice 
its  life  for  man,  but  it  cannot  see  far  enough  into 
the  nature  of  human  existence  to  prefer  the  same 
to  its  own.  The  life  of  man  is  to  the  dog  as 
incomprehensible  and  inimitable  as  the  life  of  a 
divine  being  is  to  man.  The  dog  may  extend  its 
benevolence  also  to  a  cat,  but  it  sees  no  reason 
for  adopting  any  of  the  likes  and  dislikes,  and 
faculties  in  general,  which  characterize  the  object 
of  its  attentions.  The  animal's  soul  and  body 
have  perfectly  adapted  themselves  to  the  life 
which  it  wants  to  lead,  and  so  the  species  remains 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


67 


intact  in  all  its  characteristics.  Thus  we  see  why 
the  further  evolution  of  life  is  dependent  upon 
the  introduction  of  a  new  idea. 


If 


CHAPTER  IX. 


FORMATION  AND  NATURE  OF  THE  HUMAN  BODY. 


The  Law  says,  **  More  harmony,  more  freedom, 
—  greater  development."  The  Law  must  be 
complied  with.  All  the  evidence  before  our  eyes 
shows  us  that  there  is  but  one  process  possible 
by  which  this  greater  harmony  may  be  established  ; 
and  this  process  consists  in  uniting  a  variety  of 
animal-souls  and  compelling  them  to  live  together 
in  a  common  body,  so  that  they  may  be  dependent 
solely  upon  this  for  all  their  manifestations. 
Each  of  these  animal-species  must  join  its  char- 
acteristics with  those  of  the  others,  and  likewise 
must  this  body  be  equipped  with  such  structural 
features  as  are  required  for  the  gratification  of 
each  of  the  traits  and  faculties  represented.  So 
that  this  union  may  be  possible,  these  souls  must 
all  derive  their  growth  out  of  one  and  the  same 
spiritual  root,  that  is,  they  must  be  united  through 
singleness  of  motive.  We  know  that  this  motive 
is  already  present ;  it  is  the  same,  which,  in  the 
animal-world,  causes  the  species  to  remain  sepa- 


II 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


69 


rated  and  thus  to  be  barred  from  further  develop- 
ment :  it  is  the  old  desire  for  preservation  of 
self  and  kind.  Now,  when  these  various  souls 
find  themselves  inseparably  united  in  one  body, 
this  common  desire  becomes  the  very  motive 
which  must  insure  their  cooperation ;  for  this 
joint  body  is  the  only  one  in  their  possession. 
In  fact,  the  voices  of  the  many  being  combined, 
the  anxiety  for  the  preservation  of  this  body  is* 
only  so  much  the  stronger.  On  this  fundamental 
principle,  then,  is  established  the  combined  activity 
of  all.  Each  soul  is  now  bound  to  help  the 
others,  in  order  to  maintain  itself.  This  condition 
being  fulfilled,  each  is  free  to  follow  its  own 
impulse  towards  individual,  social,  and  moral 
activity,  aided  by  the  combined  intellectual 
powers  of  all. 

Let  us  look  first  at  the  general  nature  of  this 
body :  It  is  plain  that  that  soul  which  contains 
the  various  faculties  in  the  most  harmonious 
proportion  is  represented  in  the  animal-world  by 
the  most  perfectly  equipped  body.  The  structure 
of  this  body,  inasmuch  as  it  is  the  one  which 
would  answer  most  nearly  the  requirements  of  the 
souls  of  the  other  species  when  united,  will  thus 
become  the  model  for  the  construction  of  the 
common  body.     This  most  perfect  of  the  animal- 


70 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD 


bodies  is,  as  we  are  aware,  that  of  the  monkey ; 
it  has  the  most  manifold  facility  for  motion ;  it  is 
the  most  nimble ;  while  in  the  construction  of 
the  hand,  as  possessed  by  none  of  the  other  ani- 
mals, we  recognize  the  powerful  medium  with  the 
help  of  which  life  may  establish  itself  on  the 
higher  plane.  According  to  the  proportions  in 
which  the  various  species  are  to  be  represented 
in  the  common  body,  will  its  features  be  modified, 
so  as  to  meet  more  perfectly  the  requirements  of 
each  ;  but,  as  we  observe,  its  general  configuration 
remains  the  same  in  every  instance.  In  its 
features  we  shall  always  find  expressed  the  same 
superiority  over  the  bodies  of  the  individual 
animals ;  it  is  ever  recognizable  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  one  grand  species  established  on 
a  higher  plane  of  life,  —  the  human. 

We  find  in  this  body  the  requisites  for  absorption 
and  assimilation  of  all  the  various  kinds  of  food, 
animal  as  well  as  vegetable;  each  animal  is 
represented  in  the  character  of  teeth  and  stomach. 
Feet  and  hands,  both  are  present.  The  united 
perceptive  powers  of  the  different  species  has 
naturally  brought  forth  an  harmonious  develop- 
ment of  the  physical  senses  which  are  to  serve 
them  all.  Thus,  the  senses  of  feeling,  taste,  and 
smell  understand  at  once   the  nature  of  all  the 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


71 


substances  with  which  the  individual  animals  are 
in  correspondence.  The  ear  responds  to  a  range 
of  sound-vibrations  such  as  will  satisfy  the  needs 
of  all  species,  while  the  eye  can  perceive  all  colors 
and  forms.  Each  animal  brings,  together  with 
the  trait  peculiar  to  itself,  also  the  character  of 
voice  determined  by  the  same.  Thus,  in  the 
human  body,  the  voice  not  only  has  the  power  of 
expressing  each  trait  separately,  but,  as  these  are 
all  united  in  the  same,  this  voice  is  far  superior 
to  that  of  any  one  of  the  animal-voices  with  respect 
to  character  in  general. 

When  we  observe  the  shape,  size,  and  quality 
of  the  brain  which  governs  the  body,  the  result 
of  the  blending  of  these  various  animal-souls  into 
one  is  shown  to  us  most  clearly.  Each  trait  is 
here  represented  by  its  organic  substance.  All 
the  animal  propensities  are  present  in  superior 
strength  and  proportion  :  The  desire  for  food  has 
at  its  disposal  in  the  brain  an  organ  manifold 
enough  to  gratify  the  tastes  of  each  species. 
The  impulse  towards  reproduction,  which  in  each 
kind  of  animal  is  active  at  a  different  time  of  the 
year,  is,  because  of  their  union  within  the  human 
body,  capable  of  appearance  at  any  time  the  year 
round ;  thus  each  is  gratified.  Likewise  is  the 
character  of  parental-love  of  a  superior  strength 


72 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


R 


and  quality.  So  are  also  the  faculties  of  acquisi- 
tiveness, secretiveness,  caution,  and  so  forth, 
each  increased  in  power  through  the  union  of 
these  souls.  The  same  may  be  observed  with 
regard  to  all  the  higher  organs ;  the  social,  moral, 
and  intellectual ;  the  traits  of  fox,  pig,  crow,  and 
cat  may  be  found  living  together  in  the  same 
body  with  those  of  the  sheep,  elephant,  dog,  and 
monkey;  making  themselves  recognizable  according 
to  their  prominence,  not  alone  within  the  person, 
but  likewise  in  his  exterior,  especially  in  the  face. 

Also  is  the  human  body  finer  in  texture  than 
that  of  any  animal  :  increased  complexity  of 
mind  demands  and  produces  a  finer  cerebral 
structure,  and  this,  in  turn,  forms  a  superior 
nervous  system  throughout  the  body,  refining  the 
various  organs  through  increasing  their  sensibility. 
Thus  also  is  the  human  skin,  where  these  finer 
nerves  terminate,  rendered  more  susceptible, 
more  delicate. 

Now,  however,  we  perceive  that  there  are  some 
prominent  features  of  the  animal-body  not  present 
in  the  human  :  there  are  neither  fins,  wings,  nor 
tail.  Why  are  these  missing?  Respecting  the 
first  named,  we  know  that  these  serve  the  fish  as 
propellers  merely,  adjusted  to  the  nature  of  the 
element    in    which    it    lives.     The    limbs    of   the 


A   SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


! 


73 


human    body  enable  this    to   move   through    the 
same  element ;  but  this  body  is  not  designed  for 
life  within  the  same ;  nor  is  it  endowed  with  inde- 
pendent powers  of  locomotion  through  the  atmos- 
phere;—  it  is  restricted  to  life  on   the  solid  soil. 
Why  ?     We  find  that  the  animals  living  on  land 
are  more  complex  in   the   development  of  their 
•  faculties ;  they  are    more    powerful    of    influence 
than   either   fish   or  fowl.     Therefore   they  have 
the  controlling  power  in  the  choice  of  the  element 
which  is   to  be  the   home   of  the  common  body. 
They  determine  the  body  with   respect  also  to  its 
form  :  Four  limbs  is  the  number  required  by  the 
higher  species  of  animal  as  well   as  by  the  bird. 
Two  of  these  limbs  must   be  legs  with  feet,  the 
other  two,  arms  with  hands ;  this  is  the  result  of 
the  compromise  between   the  monkey  and  these 
other  animals.     The  fish,  being  by  reason  of  their 
weaker  life  in  the  darker  element,  the  lowest  in 
the  scale,  are,  of  course,  represented  accordingly ; 
still,  this  body  has  at  least  some  little  facility  for 
moving   in  their  element.     The   birds,   however, 
are,  so  far  as  their  peculiar  mode  of  locomotion  is 
concerned,    not    considered    at    all  ;    the    human 
body,  like  their  own,  moves  about   on   two  feet, 
and   in    their    element;    but    independent    rising 
above  the  ground  is  denied.     We  may  find  a  rea- 


J 


74 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


son  for  this  :  When  we  examine  the   nature  and 
life  of  the  bird  in   general,  we  observe  that  the 
power  of  flight  is,  in  itself,  not  so  much  an  object 
of  the  animaVs  desire  as  at  first  glance  appears. 
Its  body  being  lighter,   and  therefore  weaker  of 
resistance  than  those  of  other  animals,  the  bird  is 
not  alone  impelled,  but  also  empowered,  to  make 
itself  less   easily  approachable;  and   the  way  in 
which  it  does  this,  is  by  making  itself  independ- 
ent of  a  hold  upon  the  ground,  so  that  it  may  at 
any  time   get  beyond  the  reach  of  the  heavier 
animals   by   rising  into  the   air.      The  faculties 
of   the   bird-soul   are   not   awakened    to    such    a 
degree  that  it  desires  the  power  of  flight  for  pleas- 
ures such  as  this  manner  of  motion  would  contain 
for  us.     The  bird  does  not  care  for  the  beautiful 
and  sublime  in  scenery  as  we  do;  nor  does   it 
appreciate  much  the  swiftness  of  its  flight.     The 
swiftness  of  the  bird  is  caused  by  the  nature  of 
its  body  and  environment.     How  little  the  animal 
cares  for  the  pleasures  to  be  found  in  this  kind  of 
motion,  is  evidenced  by  the  generally  low  degree 
of  development  in  the  uncultivated  human  being 
of    the    faculty    of    sublimity.     The    desire   for 
expressing    itself   through   the    medium    of   song 
is,   perhaps,   the  principal   distinguishing  feature 
by   which   the   bird-nature  is  represented  in  the 


I 


i 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


75 


human  ;  and  the  organs  required  for  the  gratifica- 
tion of  this  desire,  the  sense  of  music,  are  present 
accordingly.  We  find  that  the  bird  really  has 
no  impulses  which  may  not  be  gratified  by  the 
human  body  in  its  present  form;  thus  the  power 
of  flight  is  denied  to  this  body  for  the  reason 
merely  that  on  the  human  plane  of  life  there  has 
as  yet  been  no  general  call  of  necessity  for  that 
faculty. 

Now  remains  the  question,  "Why  is  that, 
which,  in  the  animal,  is  so  important  a  feature, 
namely,  the  tail,  not  present?"  Here  also  we 
may  find  the  answer  while  observing  the  reason 
why  there  is  no  necessity  for  the  same.  We 
know  that  in  the  animal-world  the  tail  serves  pre- 
eminently as  guard  and  protector  in  otherwise 
neglected  parts.  Now,  the  human  body,  by  rea- 
son of  its  vertical  position,  is  never  so  exposed  in 
the  back  parts  as  the  animal.  Besides,  the  human 
head  is  more  favorably  situated  for  quickly  turn- 
ing about  in  all  directions.  In  addition  to  these 
advantages,  the  mind  within  has  the  power  and 
the  organs  for  contriving  all  manner  of  artificial 
guard  and  defense,  which  are  denied  to  the  ani- 
mal. We  can  thus  find  no  cause  whatever  for 
the  presence  of  such  a  feature  on  the  human 
form.     The  tail  remains  excluded  from  the  same 


76 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


I*  < 


through  the  absence  of  a  call  of  necessity ;  and 
where  such  a  feature  should  ever  apparently  come 
forth  on  human  beings,  it  could  be  only  in  the 
form  of  a  so-called  freak  of  Nature,  not  con- 
structed in  accordance  with  the  distinctive  qual- 
ities of  the  real  tail,  and  therefore  not  to  be 
considered  as  being  one. 

Having  thus  made  ourselves  acquainted  with  the 
general  character  of  the  human  body,  we  will  now 
turn  our  attention  to  the  soul. 


\ 


CHAPTER  X. 

CONSTITUTION    OF    THE    HUMAN  SOUL ;    ORIGIN 

OF    THE    RACES. 

Thus  far  we  have  observed  but  the  separate 
elements  of  life;  we  have,  so  to  speak,  studied 
the  great  language  of  the  Spirit  with  reference 
merely  to  its  alphabet  and  vocabulary.  Is  the 
human  soul  great  enough  to  understand  its  own 
existence  ?  —  to  read  the  thoughts  expressed  by 
the  Spirit  on  the  high  plane  of  human  life.?     Let 

us  try. 

•Before    we    proceed,   however,    to    enter    this 
higher  sphere,  a  most  important  question  occurs 
to    us,    -  Does    the    Spirit,    while    blending    the 
animal-souls  to  form  the  human,  add  anything  to 
the   character   of   their   life-vibration,  or   is   this 
brighter  spark  of  life  entirely  the  result  of  this 
union  } "     Our  personal  sense  can  never  tell  us ; 
for  the  question  touches  upon  the  soul's   inner- 
most nature.     We  must  attempt  a  view  through 
the  eye  of  the  Spirit :  While  observing  the  man- 
ner  in  which  the  primitive  stage  of  life  originates, 


rti 


7^  A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

we    saw  how  the    various   elementary  substances 
are  combined    through    the  medium   of  the   sun- 
^  beam  into  a  variety  of  organisms.     In  thus  unit- 
ing these  elements  and  permeating  them  with  its 
life  the  Spirit  gives  to  them  a  signification,  some- 
what as  we,  through  forming  words,  give  sense  to 
the  letters  of  our  alphabet.     Each  of  these  organ- 
isms on  the  vegetable  plane,  as  we  have  seen,  is 
the  symbol  of  a  certain  trait  of  character,  —  the 
reflection    of  a  "word."     The   Spirit   introduces 
into  these  mere  pictures  of  character  the  idea  of 
motion  :  they  come  to  life  in  the  life  of  the  ani- 
mal;—thus  the  Spirit's  ideal   '* words"  become 
realities.     Then  we   saw  how  these   traits    must 
remain  separated  from  one  another  in  the  various 
species.     However,  they  are  all  of  the  same  great 
Spirit,  which  has  created  them  for  a  certain  higher 
purpose:  As  we  form  our  words  for  the  special 
purpose  of  using  them  in  our  sentences ;  so  does 
the  Spirit  give  separate  life  to  the  various  traits 
of  character,  in  order  that  it  may  form  combina- 
tions of  them  for  expression  of  its  higher,  more 
complicated    ideas    on    the  plane  of   human    life. 
We  know  that  the  thoughts  which  we  desire  to 
express  in  our  sentences,  require  for  their  appear- 
ance  as  realities  nothing  more  than  that  the  words 
forming    these    sentences    be    well    chosen    and 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


79 


placed  in  their  proper  order.  We  may  suppose 
that  likewise  the  Spirit  demonstrates  its  ideas  in 
the  form  of  human  life  without  putting  anything 
further  into  the  combinations  which  it  makes  of 
the  various  animal-souls,  than  the  force  of  the 
ideas  themselves.  That  which  effects  and  main- 
tains these  combinations,  we  have  already  recog- 
nized as  being  the  desire  of  the  Spirit  for  superior 

harmony. 

In  looking  about  in  the  world  of  human  beings, 
we  see  that  these  are  divided  into  a  number  of 
different  species,  or  races.  Did  these  originally 
come  forth  out  "of  one  family  and  in  one  locality, 
or,  like  the  various  plant  and  animal  species,  from 
different  germs  and  in  different  countries  ? 

Upon  closer  observation  of  the  life  on  the  lower 
plgines  we  find  that  a  vast  number  of  plant  and 
animal  species  ever  remain  confined  to  certain 
localities,  —  so  strictly  so  that,  if  they  were  placed 
in  environments  of  a  nature  different  from  that 
of  their  own,  they  would  die  out.  The  reason  is, 
of  course,  to  be  found  in  the  marked  differences 
maintained  between  the  various  regions  with 
respect  to  climate,  character  of  soil,  and  the 
many  other  conditions  in  the  midst  of  which  the 
organisms  find  their  birth  and  means  of  suste- 
nance.    It  is  quite  evident  that  each  species  can 


I''  I 


80 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


have  made  its  first   appearance  in  that   kind  of 
locality  alone  to  which  it  remains  thus  confined. 
Now,    in    observing    the    manner    in    which    the 
human  races  are  distributed  over  the  Earth,  we 
note  that  during  these  many  ages  they,  too,  have 
remained  each  established  in  a  region  of  its  own 
as  firmly  almost  as  a  plant  remains  rooted  to  its 
piece  of  soil.     For  thousands  of  years  there  has 
been  comparatively  little  mingling  among  them. 
Although  races  may  spread  beyond  the  limits  of 
their  respective  countries,  each   nevertheless  still 
holds  dear  the  land  in  which  it  passed  its  child- 
hood.     It   appears,   moreover,   that    even  with    a 
perfect  intermingling  of  the  races  an  amalgama- 
tion into  one  could  never  come  about,  by  reason 
of  the  too  pronounced  difference   between    their 
physical  characteristics.     Each  race,  like  the  indi- 
vidual  creature,  lives  its  allotted  time  and  then 
passes  away.     Thus,  in  the   course  of  evolution 
a  multitude  of  races  in  all  regions  have  succeeded 
one  another,  each  in  turn  eventually  giving  up  its 
home  on  Earth  to  another  that  was  at  the  time 
possessed  of  greater  vitality. 

Now,  we  see  that  the  body  of  man  contains 
the  same  earthly  substance  as  that  of  animal  and 
plant;  it  is  therefore  also  subject  to  the  same 
law.     Thus  we   may   be  justified   in   taking  for 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE   WORLD. 


81 


granted  that,  as  the  difference  existing  between 
the  natures  of  the  various  localities  at  the  time 
of  the  first  appearance  of  Life  caused  a  separate 
coming-forth  of  various  plant  and  animal  species, 
so  likewise  the  human  life  made  its  first  appearance 
on  Earth  in  the  form  of  a  variety  of  races,  each 
coming  forth  independently  of  the  others,  in  a 
different  locality,  and  from  a  different  germ. 

Difference  in  body,  as  we  know,  means  differ- 
ence in  soul ;  and,  indeed,  our  races  differ  widely 
as  to  the  character  of  soul  in  the  individuals 
representing  them.  Let  us  make  a  few  observa- 
tions bearing  upon  this  point :  Consider,  for 
instance,  the  mental  constitution  of  the  average 
Negro  in  his  original  state.  The  proportions  in 
which  his  faculties  stand  to  one  another  show  as 
plainly  in  the  shape  of  his  head,  and  in  the  form 
and  expression  of  his  features,  as  they  do  in  his 
manner  of  life.  By  far  the  larger  part  of  his 
brain  lies  in  the  back  part  of  his  head.  His 
propensities,  all  strongly  present,  are  preeminently 
under  the  influence  of  the  social  feelings.  Socia- 
bility, being  the  strongest  of  his  higher  impulses, 
therefore  determines  the  nature  of  his  whole 
existence.  He  delights  in  the  society  of  his 
fellows,  because  he  has  a  strong  instinctive  per- 
ception of  the  pleasures  arising  from  harmonious 


82 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


33 


intercourse.  Perceiving  and  cultivating  harmony 
is,  as  we  are  aware,  equivalent  to  cultivating  a 
happy  disposition,  a  light  heart.  The  Negro 
certainly  has  this,  and  he  shows  it  in  the  expres- 
sion of  his  face.  The  state  of  the  soul  determines 
not  only  the  tone  of  the  voice,  but  also  the 
activity  of  the  faculties  pertaining  to  music ;  and 
thus  we  find  the  Negro  generally  to  be  the 
possessor  of  an  agreeable  voice  combined  with 
high  musical  ability.  All  the  faculties  which  are 
the  immediate  outgrowths  of  social  life  are,  in  the 
Negro,  well  developed.  The  desire  to  venerate, 
the  love  of  praise,  suavity,  mirthfulness,  the 
faculties  of  imitation,  faith,  hope,  memory,  and 
the  power  of  language,  —  all  these  are  prominent 
characteristics  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  in  the 
faculties  which  grow  put  of  a  life  more  laborious, 
more  devoted  to  stern  duty,  he  proves  in  many 
respects  to  be  deficient. 

Entirely  different  proportions  do  we  find  in  the 
original  North  American  Indian.  The  head  of  the 
latter  is  less  developed  in  the  region  of  the  social 
organs  ;  but,  instead,  it  is  broader  in  the  purely 
selfish  propensities,  higher  in  the  back  part  of  the 
crown,  and  fuller  in  the  region  of  the  intellect. 
His  propensities  are  less  dominated  by  the  social 
faculties  than  are  those  of  the  Negro ;  he  perceives 


less  of  harmony ;  his  greater  destructiveness, 
firmness  and  self-esteem  make  of  him  a  sterner 
being.  In  consequence,  the  expression  on  his 
face  is  that  of  severity.  In  his  mind,  mirthfulness 
and  music  find  little  room.  Being  more  secretive, 
more  self-contained,  he  has  less  use  also  for  the 
power  of  language.  His  life  being  more  laborious 
than  that  of  the  Negro,  his  intellectual  faculties 
in  general  are  more  strongly  developed  than  are 
those  of  the  latter.  All  in  all,  the  Indian  is  more 
conscious  of  self  and,  at  the  same  time,  less  happy. 

A  more  perfect  proportion  in  the  development 
of  the  faculties  is  to  be  found  in  the  Malayan, 
and  especially  in  the  Mongolian  race.  Both  of 
these  show  a  higher  moral  as  well  as  intellectual 
power.  The  Malayan,  by  reason  of  living  in  a 
warmer,  friendlier  climate,  possesses  a  more 
careless  disposition  than  we  find  in  the  Mongolian, 
who  is  forced  by  the  severer  climate  to  labor. 
But  the  same  conditions  which  require  a  higher 
mental  activity,  also  help  to  generate  the  strength 
for  its  endurance  :  alternation  between  warm  and 
cold  seasons  invigorates  the  nervous  system. 
Thus,  the  Mongolian  is  superior  to  the  Malayan 
as  well  as  to  the  other  two  races. 

We  have  now  to  consider  the  race  most 
advanced  of  all,  the  Caucasian.     This,  we  find. 


84 


A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


distinguishes  itself  from  the  rest  through  repre- 
senting the  greatest  variety  of  characters.  It  is 
the  most  complicated  of  the  Spirit's  expressions 
in  the  form  of  man.  In  this  race  are  united  all 
the  mental  characteristics  in  as  high  a  degree  of 
development  as  that  in  which  they  are  to  be  found 
separately  in  each  of  the  others ;  and  therefore  it 
is  qualified  for  attaining,  with  respect  both  to  its 
individual  members  and  to  the  race  as  a  body, 
the  highest  degree  of  evolution  possible  to  man 
on  Earth.  For  this  reason,  and  because  this  is 
the  race  to  which  our  personalities  belong,  we 
will  make  its  life  the  prominent  object  of  our 
attention. 


!i 


1  ! 


CHAPTER  XI. 

UNFOLDMENT  OF  THE  HUMAN  SOUL  IN  THE  LIFE 

OF  THE  COMMUNITY. 

We  find  here  every  possible  trait  of  character, 
from  the  lowest  to  the  highest,  personated  by 
some  one  or  more  individuals.  No  two  souls  are 
alike,  and  no  two  physical  bodies.  According  to 
which  of  the  animal-souls  in  each  case  predomi- 
nates, may  we  recognize  in  the  personal  features 
and  general  bearing  the  character  of  dog  or  cat, 
hog  or  fox,  goose  or  eagle,  and  so  on  through  the 
line.  One  of  the  factors  most  generally  repre- 
sented is,  for  instance,  the  dog-soul.  This  is  evi- 
denced, not  alone  in  the  friendly  feelings  between 
man  and  dog,  but  also  in  the  opposite,  in  cases  of 
hydrophobia :  Though  a  man  be  not  even  touched 
by  the  dog,  still  it  will  happen  that  he  develops 
all  the  symptoms  of  the  dog's  disease;  barking 
and  snapping  like  the  dog  itself.  It  is  plain  that 
this  man  could  not,  in  his  unconscious  condition, 
so  perfectly  imitate  the  animal,  if  the  dog-soul 
were  not  present  within  himself.  This  dog-soul 
in  the  human  required  merely  to  be  aroused  by 


S6 


A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


87 


!• 


I 

i 
II 


the  kind  of  incident  which,  in  its  life  on  the 
higher  plane,  so  strongly  appeals  to  its  sympa- 
thies. It  then,  for  the  time  being,  becomes  in  a 
certain  respect  disconnected  from  its  union  with 
the  other  souls,  and  thus  its  excitement  brings  it 
into  fearful  prominence. 

We  have  already,  while  studying  the  animal- 
world,  seen  how  the  various  faculties  originally 
came  into  life,  and  how  their  further  evolution  on 
that  plane  is  arrested  by  reason  of  their  isolation 
in  the  different  species.  Here,  in  the  human 
world,  we  see  the  faculties  united  in  the  bodies 
and  free  to  intermingle.  We  note  that  the 
human  soul,  even  in  its  primitive  stages  of  devel- 
opment, is  vastly  more  conscious  of  existence 
than  is  the  animal ;  for,  the  impulse  towards  self- 
preservation  existent  in  the  various  animal-souls 
has  become  united  in  one  soul,  and  this  increased 
love  of  life  now  calls  for  a  greater  activity  among 
all  the  higher  faculties.  They  must  now  all  exert 
themselves  in  the  interest  of  a  common  cause: 
the  preservation  of  life  in  human  form.  We  will 
observe  how  they  help  man  in  his  efforts  to  rise 
out  of  the  primitive  stage  in  which  he  first  makes 
his  appearance. 

By  reason  of  his  higher  nature,  he  comes  forth 
in  the  bosom  of  the  family.     However,  he  per- 


ceives himself  surrounded,  like  the  beings  on  the 
plane  below,  by  every  kind  of  enemy,  beasts  of 
prey,  and  many  other  influences  hostile  to  his 
existence.  But  he  also  finds  in  close  vicinity, 
besides  the  members  of  his  family,  other  fellow- 
beings  of  the  same  nature  as  his  own ;  and,  in 
obedience  to  the  law  of  affinity,  he  combines  with 
these  against  the  common  enemy.  Thus,  several 
families  together  form  a  primitive  society,  a  tribe, 
placing  themselves  under  the  guardianship  of  a 
chief.  Now  the  intellect  calls  the  hands  to  work : 
homes  are  constructed.  The  body  of  man,  being 
weaker  than  that  of  the  animal,  must  be  provided 
with  artificial  means  of  both  attack  and  defense ; 
the  effect  of  a  blow  is  increased  through  adding 
to  the  swing  of  the  arm  the  length  of  a  stick,  a 
club)  with  the  heaviest  end  toward  the  enemy. 
The  tender  skin  is  protected  by  a  piece  from  the 
hide  of  an  animal.  Then  follows  the  discovery 
that  better  success  is  attainable  through  making 
of  this  hide  a  shield,  and  thus  employing  simulta- 
neously one  arm  in  the  attack  and  the  other  in 
the  defense.  The  combined  intellect  observes 
the  effects,  remembers  experiences,  analyzes  facts, 
reconstructs  their  relations  to  one  another,  and  so 
arrives  at  the  conception  of  new  ideas.  Thus, 
the   next  in  line  is  the   discovery  of   means   by 


SB 


A  SPIRITUAL  TOUR  OF  THE  WORLD. 


A  SPIRITUAL  TOUR  OF  THE  WORLD. 


89 


w> 


which  to  kill  the  enemy  from  a  distance ;  spears, 
and  bows  and  arrows  are  invented.  The  safety 
of  his  existence  becoming  more  and  more  firmly 
established,  man's  attention  is  now  attracted  also 
toward  bodily  comforts  ;  the  hands  find  employ- 
ment in  the  manufacture  of  various  household 
articles ;  materials  are  found  which  suggest  to 
him  the  idea  of  woven  dress.  The  skillfulness  of 
the  hands,  through  exercise,  grows  in  step  with 
the  power  of  the  intellect  to  perceive  and  to  con- 
trive. Each  invention  gives  rise  to  another,  and 
the  hands  are  ready  to  materialize  the  idea.  The 
refinement  of  the  intellectual  powers  enables  him 
to  perceive  certain  harmonies  in  the  surrounding 
World  which  remain  hidden  to  the  senses  of  the 
animal ;  and  as  the  skill  of  his  hands  grows  more 
perfect,  he  begins  to  give  expression  to  the  pleas- 
ure which  he  receives  from  these  finer  percep- 
tions, by  imitating  the  beauties  of  Nature  in  his 
works :  he  embellishes  that  which  he  makes,  and 
forms  images.  He  gradually  becomes  acquainted 
also  with  the  laws  that  govern  the  harmony  of 
sound.  From  merely  imitating  Nature's  harmo- 
nies, he  proceeds  to  place  them  in  new  relation- 
ships with  one  another ;  he  creates  new  forms, 
and  thus  his  powers  of  invention  find  their 
expression  also  in  the  various  branches  of  art. 


While  the  mind  is  thus  employed  in  securing 
safety  and  comfort  to  the  body,  and  providing  all 
manner  of  enjoyments  for  the  senses,  it  must 
likewise  see  to  the  safety  of  the  articles  thus  pro- 
duced. The  natural  result  is,  that  the  primitive 
laws,  such  as  we  find  governing  the  herds  and 
flocks  in  the  animal-world,  are,  in  this  human 
society,  extended  beyond  the  individual  to  the 
protection  of  his  personal  property.  Each  of 
these  individuals  desires  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his 
labors  in  person.  Perceiving  the  wholesome 
effect  of  the  laws  which  secure  protection  to  him- 
self and  his  family,  he  feels  encouraged  to  come  to  a 
mutual  understanding  with  his  fellows  in  regard 
to  all  his  other  belongings.  The  more  harmony 
there  is  in  a  community,  the  more  security  for 
each-  member.  Thus,  each  pledges  himself  to 
respect  the  property  of  his  fellows,  and  to  recog- 
nize the  justice  of  all  penalties  attached  to  trans- 
gressions;  each  member  himself  helps  to  make 
the  law.  In  this  manner  is  awakened  to  higher 
activity  the  sense  of  conscientiousness.  Now, 
where  there  is  law,  there  must  be  also  a  power  to 
guard  and  execute  the  same :  certain  individuals 
are  chosen  to  act  as  officers  under  the  chief ;  they 
are  vested  with  authority  over  others.  Thus  is 
nourished  the  faculty  of  ambition. 


90 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


As  the  community  grows  and  as  its  individual 
harmony,  as  well  as  that  with  other  communities, 
becomes  more  and  more  firmly  established,  we 
see  the  supreme  authority  more  and  more  gener- 
ally accorded  to  the  body  of  moral  sentiments: 
the  finer  voice  is  heard  above  the  coarser.  Mean- 
while  the  intellect  continues  in  its  occupation  of 
contriving  new  and  better  employment  for  the 
hands ;  and  each  generation  transmits  to  the  fol- 
lowing one  the  powers  thus  evolved.  In  conse- 
quence, also  the  amount  of  property  grows,  and, 
by  reason  of  the  inequality  in  the  development 
of  the  individuals,  becomes  unevenly  divided. 
Thus,  from  generation  to  generation  the  manifold 
contrasts  between  the  inner  and  outer  conditions 
of  the  several  families  become  more  marked,  and 
distinct  classes  form,  the  various  families  slowly, 
or  sometimes  suddenly,  moving  from  one  class  of 
life  into  the  other.  This  manifold  change  of  con- 
trasts, this  condition  of  perpetual  motion,  has  the 
effect  of  still  more  enlivening  both  the  intellect- 
ual faculties  and  the  moral  sentiments  of  all  con- 
cerned. Care  and  lightness  of  heart,  melancholy 
and  mirthfulness,  come  to  the  individual  in  mani- 
fold degree  and  form.  Thus,  the  high  sentiments 
of  faith  and  hope  and  charity,  which  are  the  great 
harmonizers  in  the  human  world,  receive  abun- 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


91 


dant  opportunities  for  coming  forth  to  demon- 
strate the  natural  brotherhood  of  all  mankind. 
Finally,  as  all  the  faculties  become  more  and  more 
awake  to  the  true  nature  of  existence,  learning  to 
distinguish  the  changeable  from  the  unchange- 
able, the  personal  from  the  universal,  man  gradu- 
ally becomes  aware  of  that  to  which  he  owes  his 
reverence.  He  begins  to  sense  more  clearly  the 
presence  of  the  Spirit,  the  Father  of  all,  and  so 
his  faculty  of  veneration,  which,  at  first,  could 
address  itself  to  the  personal,  the  perishable,  only, 
now  becomes  empowered  to  help  him  rise  into 
conscious  communication  with  the  eternal,  the 
Creator  himself. 

In  taking  a  general  view  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  faculties  evolve  on  the  human  plane, 
we*  observe  that  their  unfoldment  is  effected 
chiefly  by  means  of  the  communication  which 
they  establish  among  the  individual  souls.  They 
learn  to  communicate,  not  alone  through  the 
medium  of  language  and  material  contrivances, 
but  likewise  through  the  direct  action  of  soul 
upon  soul.  While  the  plant  gives  evidence  of  its 
being  through  its  vibrations  of  odor,  and  the 
animal  has  acquired  power  over  those  of  sound, 
the  human  being  learns  to  command  the  fine 
vibrations  of  thought  and  feeling.     Our  study  of 


•      A. 

i 


92 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OP   THE    WORLD. 


k 


the  life  on  the  lower  planes  has  shown  us  that 
the  soul  of  plant  and  animal  reaches  beyond 
the  body  and  receives  impressions.  Man's  soul 
acquires  the  power,  not  only  of  receiving  knowl- 
edge in  this  manner,  but  also  of  impressing  its 
thought  upon  others,  independently  of  distance 
and  physical  means.  This  power  of  thought- 
transference  has  evolved  in  the  human  world  as  a 
result  of  the  higher  activity  and  the  more  com- 
plicated harmony  existing  among  the  various  indi- 
vidual souls.  There  is  present,  not  alone  the 
desire  to  receive,  but  also  the  will  to  impress. 
We  may  compare  the  human  beings  in  this  respect 
to  the  stringed  instruments :  each  instrument 
transmits  its  vibrations  to  every  one  of  the  others 
which  is  within  reach  of  the  sound-vibrations  and 
harmonizes  with  the  same.  Now,  we  have  seen 
that  the  soul  is  independent  of  both  locality  and 
substance.  Therefore,  in  so  far  as  there  exists  a 
likeness,  or  an  affinity,  between  souls,  however 
far  their  bodies  may  be  apart,  the  vibrations  of 
each  of  these  souls  will  immediately  be  felt  by 
the  others  also.  Where  the  power  of  will  is 
strong  in  one,  and  the  receptivity  great  in  another, 
there  we  may  find  taking  place  a  transmission  of 
thought  and  feeling,  effected  alone  by  the  power 
of   will.     We   see   that   this    transmission   often 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF   THE    WORLD. 


93 


proves  to  be  so  perfect  as  to  excite  to  action 
the  physical  senses  of  the  recipient:  it  happens 
that  persons  make  themselves  unexpectedly  appar- 
ent to  the  eye  and  ear,  and  senses  in  general, 
of  others  who  are  at  that  moment  thousands  of 
miles  away. 

We  further  observe  that  the  power  of  soul- 
vibration  is  not  alone  thus  independent  of  sub- 
stance, but  that  it  may  even  temporarily  alter  the 
relations  between  objects,  as,  for  instance,  the 
hypnotizer  does  when,  by  mere  will-power,  he 
invests  weak  objects  with  superior  strength,  and 
in  the  same  way  increases  or  reduces  their  weight. 
It  is  plain  that  from  such  a  changing  of  relations 
between  substances  to  the  feat  of  combining 
these  to  form  new  objects,  also  by  direct  soul- 
power,  is  only  a  step.  The  Universe  consisting  in 
nothing  but  vibrations,  the  soul  acquires  its  power 
over  mind  and  matter  through  bringing  its  own 
vibrative  force  into  a  certain  harmony  with  that 
upon  which  it  wants  to  act ;  its  power  evolves 
solely  through  this  kind  of  effort.  Everywhere 
we  find  expressed  the  necessity  of  harmonious 
action.  The  Spirit  demonstrates  this  to  us  on 
every  plane  of  existence.  Each  higher  plane 
comes  forth  through  the  introduction  of  an  idea 
designed  to  increase  the  harmonious  intercourse 


r. 


u 


vJ' 

I'l  - 

IT'-. 

I  y  j 
hi' 


94 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


of  forces.  Thus  we  have  seen  how  the  life  in 
each  higher  sphere  becomes  more  complicated, 
more  pronounced,  more  powerful,  as  the  forces  of 
the  lower  faculties  become  more  closely  united 
with  those  of  the  higher,  forming  with  these  a 
better  harmony,  through  which  they  are  lifted  out 
of  the  lower  plane  to  serve  on  the  higher.  As 
the  lower  faculties  constitute  the  impulse  of  self- 
preservation,  we  readily  understand  why  the 
unfoldment  of  life  remains  so  strictly  conditioned 
upon  the  evolution  of  this  impulse.  And  each 
plane  stands  as  a  well-defined  creation,  although 
dependent  for  its  existence  upon  those  below,  yet, 
within  itself,  remaining  forever  intact.  In  each 
we  may  find  reflected  in  a  certain  form  the  like- 
ness of  all ;  for  we  can  find  in  the  Universe  no 
two  things  that  do  not  in  some  respect  allow  com- 
parison. In  this  we  are  shown  how  they  all- 
together  are  the  emanations  of  but  the  one  Spirit, 
which  brings  them  forth  for  one  another  to  form 
one  harmonious  being.  As  we  look,  for  instance, 
upon  the  manifold  life  on  our  human  plane,  as 
shown  in  a  civilized  community,  and  observe  the 
innumerable  forms  of  individual  occupation,  from 
that  of  mere  manual  labor  to  that  of  invention 
and  art,  from  that  of  distributing  the  goods  of 
Earth   to   that   of  dispensing   the   heavenly;    as 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


95 


we  see  how  the  community  thus  provides  itself 
with  its  requirements  from  all  directions,  below 
and  above,  gathering-in  both  the  material  and  the 
spiritual,  we  truly  find  reflected  there  the  harmo- 
nious life  of  the  blooming  plant :  There  are  the 
roots,  which  secure  the  earthly  substance ;  this  is, 
through  the  stem,  conveyed  into  all  the  different 
parts ;  while  the  leaves  must  help  to  insure  a 
healthy  development.  Thus  invigorated  and  puri- 
fied, the  plant  may  then  evolve  its  beautiful 
flower.  This,  in  turn,  unfolding  toward  the  Sun, 
drinks  in  the  rays  of  light  and  warmth ;  and  as 
this  blossom  imparts  their  life  to  the  seed  within 
its  care,  the  plant  becomes  enabled  to  insure  the 
maintenance  and  further  evolution  of  its  species. 

Having,  by  means  of  the  observations  so  far 
made,  obtained  an  idea  of  the  manner  in  which 
our  Earth  evolves  the  faculties  from  their  symbol- 
ical appearance  in  the  plant  to  their  life  in  the 
human-being,  let  us  now  take  a  step  nearer  and 
observe  the  fate  which  they  bring  to  the  individ- 
ual creature. 


■ 


(t 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FATE,  WITH  REGARD  TO  PLANT  AND  ANIMAL. 

Our  observations  have  shown  us  that  all  the 
various  forms  of  life  with  which  we  are  surrounded 
are,  so  to  speak,  a  spectrum  of  the  Spirit,  appear- 
ing upon  the  surface  of  the  Earth  as  a  refraction 
of  the  Sun's  rays  through  planetary  substance. 
We  have  seen  that  the  great  Spirit,  by  itself,  is 
but  the  Principle,  the  Law ;  and  that  the  world  of 
souls  is  the  demonstration  of  its  being.  The 
Spirit  appears  as  the  one  great  Law  of  life ;  and 
life,  as  we  know,  is  but  another  word  for  feeling. 
Thus  we  are  aware  that  the  one  and  only  object 
of  the  Spirit  consists  in  the  evolution  of  feeling. 
This  latter,  therefore,  must  form  the  central  object 
of  our  present  attention. 

We  find,  while  looking  into  the  activity  on  the 
first  stage  of  soul-existence,  the  vegetable  plane, 
that,  in  the  plant,  consciousness  of  life,  or  feel- 
ing, can  not  much  exceed  that  degree  which  is 
necessary  for  impelling  the  creature  to  maintain 
merely  the  life  of  itself  and  its  species.     However, 


A   SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE   WORLD. 


97 


the  various  movements  within  the  body  of  the 
plant  must  surely  be  accompanied  by  pleasurable 
feelings  to  some  degree,  be  they  ever  so  instinct- 
ive. What  else  would  induce,  for  instance,  the 
germ  of  the  rose  to  drive  a  root  into  the  ground, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  send  a  shoot  out  of  the 
darkness  through  the  solid  earth  above  .^  what 
could  impel  it  to  the  effort  of  overcoming  the 
great  law  of  gravitation  so  as  to  reach  the  day- 
light, if  it  be  not  the  instinctive  knowledge  that 
its  wants  shall  be  gratified  when  it  succeeds.^ 
When,  at  last,  the  Sun  opens  the  buds  which  it 
turns  up  to  him,  the  sweet  odor  of  its  blossom  is 
surely  recognizable  as  an  evidence  of  a  certain 
feeling  of  gratification  pervading  the  plant.  The 
soul  of  the  plant  is,  however,  still  a  very  weak 
one.  The  plant  can  retain  within  its  own  body 
but  a  small  portion  of  the  life-vibrations  coming 
to  it ;  the  rest  must  be  provided  with  separate 
bodies.  Thus  we  see  it  contrive  all  the  require- 
ments for  the  process  of  reproduction ;  it  would 
not  do  this,  if  there  were  not  a  desire  present ; 
and  desire  implies  feeling. 

But  now  we  see  that  the  tranquil  life  of  the 
plant  is  not  all  gratification ;  we  see  great  num- 
bers maimed  and  destroyed.  The  plant  is  subject 
to  the  desire  of  the  higher  creatures  as  well  as  to 


98 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


the  destructive  influence  of  the  elements;  and 
thus,  where  gratification  brought  pleasure,  the 
reverse  produces  pain.  As  much  capacity  as 
there  is  for  the  one  kind  of  sensation,  will  there, 
of  course,  also  be  for  the  other.  However  small 
this  sensation  may  seem  to  be  to  us,  still,  the 
plant  feels  it ;  and  here  a  question  arises  in  our 
minds,  "Why  should  a  harmless  plant,  even 
though  it  be  only  a  plant,  meet  with  an  adverse 
fate  and  come  to  grief,  —  and  why  is  a  distinction 
made,  by  which  some  are  left  to  grow  in  size  and 
beauty,  and  eventually  to  die  the  peaceful  death 
of  ripe  old  age,  while  to  others  all  this  is  denied  ?*' 
Nature  must  certainly  contain  an  answer  to  this 
question  somewhere;  for  the  Spirit  must  be  as 
just  as  it  is  strict. 

We  will  proceed,  and  look  into  the  fate  of  the 
animal :  Where  there  is  more  life,  there  is  also 
more  to  lose.  The  animal,  being  more  conscious 
of  its  existence,  makes  greater  efforts  at  preserv- 
ing the  same.  Its  life  being  more  manifold,  it 
experiences  more  desires,  has  more  power  of  feel- 
ing. In  the  lower  species  there  can,  of  course, 
be  little  difference  between  the  feeling  of  an 
animal  and  that  of  a  plant.  Power  of  feeling,  as 
we  know,  increases  with  development  of  soul. 
And  see  what  contrasts  are  to  be  found  between 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


99 


pleasure  and  pain  among  the  higher  species! 
Here,  where  the  desire  for  self-preservation  is 
sufficiently  pronounced  to  show  clearly  the  sepa- 
rate promptings  of  all  its  elements,  namely,  the 
propensities,  we  may  observe  how  the  power  of 
feeling  becomes  diversified.  The  life  of  the  mov- 
ing creature  causes  suddenness  as  well  as  variety 
of  experience :  the  propensities  are  impelled  to 
separate  activity.  Of  the  desires  to  eat,  drink, 
reproduce,  etc.,  each  has  its  time  of  gratification 
apart  from  that  of  the  others  :  The  lion  prowls 
about  for  prey  ;  he  is  moved  by  a  desire.  Coming 
upon  an  animal,  he  enters  a  fight,  and  his  pro- 
pensity to  destroy  becomes  gratified.  Rejoicing 
in  his  own  grim  way,  he  brings  his  victim  to  his 
mate  and  young,  which  are  waiting  for  it  in  his 
cave  •;  then  the  cravings  for  food  are  stilled ;  and 
that  done,  there  may  follow  a  period  of  rest  and 
enjoyment  in  the  home  circle. 

But,  as  we  know,  it  may  just  as  easily  come 
otherwise ;  the  animal  is  subject  to  the  desires  of 
others  as  well  as  to  its  own.  Thus  it  happens 
that  this  lion  loses  his  mate  and  cubs;  that  he 
himself  is  wounded,  deprived  of  his  home  and 
wonted  liberty ;  or,  he  may  be  destroyed  by  vio- 
lence. His  pain  must  at  such  times  be  as  great 
as  were  his  pleasurable  feelings  during  the  periods 


lOO        A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD. 


of  good  fortune ;  and  the  indulgence  of  his  vari- 
ous bodily  impulses  was,  after  all,  in  vain.  Like 
the  plant,  he  comes  to  grief.  From  general 
observation  we  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
feelings  which  have  their  source  in  the  animal's 
concern  for  self  and  kind,  though  pleasurable  to 
the  creature  at  the  moments  of  their  gratification, 
are  otherwise  always  painful,  and  always  ready  to 
assume  the  character  of  instinctive,  though  well- 
grounded,  fear  that  somehow  there  will  be  enforced 
a  payment  for  these  various  enjoyments  which  are 
had  at  foreign  expense. 

How  is  it  with  regard  to  the  feelings  arising 
from  the  higher  faculties,  the  affections  reaching 
beyond  the  animal's  personality  and  species? 
Let  us  consider,  for  instance,  the  feelings  of  the 
dog :  This  creature  lives  in  an  environment  some- 
what removed  from  the  dangers  which  generally 
threaten  the  world  of  animals ;  it  is  relieved  of 
much  of  the  anxiety  which  prevails  there  con- 
cerning the  preservation  of  the  body.  Its  inter- 
est is  therefore  permitted  in  a  degree  to  go  out 
into  the  life  surrounding,  to  manifest  itself  in  the 
nature  of  sociability :  the  dog  cultivates  friend- 
ships with  animals  of  other  species.  The  natural 
development  of  its  higher  faculties,  however, 
attracts  it  with   superior  power  to  the  sphere  of 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


101 


man;  and,  moreover,  instinctively  recognizing 
how  prominently  the  soul  of  its  own  kind  is  rep- 
resented in  the  human  being,  all  its  higher  feel- 
ings concentrate  around  its  relationship  with  him. 
Leaving  out  of  consideration  the  lower  feelings, 
which  it  shares  with  all  the  other  animals,  we  will 
observe  those  derived  from  its  higher  faculties 
alone.  That  which  so  firmly  binds  the  soul  of 
the  noble  dog  to  that  of  man  is,  as  we  see,  the 
sentiment  of  veneration.  The  dog's  instinctive 
perception  of  the  superiority  of  the  human  nature 
to  its  own,  together  with  its  strong  desire  for  cul- 
tivating friendliness  in  superior  quarters,  leads  it 
to  regard  man,  not  only  as  the  superior  being,  but 
likewise  as  the  trustworthy  friend.  Its  confidence 
expresses  itself  in  its  reverence.  How  otherwise 
could  it,  notwithstanding  its  oftentimes  far  supe- 
rior strength,  so  patiently  endure  painful  abuses 
heaped  upon  it  by  the  objects  of  its  worship.^ 
We  see  that  in  the  consideration  of  the  dog  the 
bodily  force  of  the  human  being  has  compara- 
tively little  part ;  for  the  animal  often  voluntarily 
obeys  the  child,  while  disregarding  the  authority 
of  the  man.  The  animal  makes  such  clear  dis- 
tinctions between  likes  and  dislikes,  that,  if  we 
did  not  already  know  that  the  dog  has  a  soul,  this 
observation  alone  would  be  sufficient  to  convince 


102 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


US  of  the  fact ;  we  see  that  it  is  soul-power  which 
moves  the  creature. 

Now,  its  reverence  desires  also  to  make  itself 
manifest ;  the  dog  is  eager  to  show  the  same  in 
making  of  itself  the  willing  servant.  It  watches 
the  effect  of  its  endeavors  and  is  delighted  at  its 
master's  kind  approval.  This  gives  evidence  of 
the  drift  of  the  creature's  ambition.  This  feeling 
acts  upon  its  conscientiousness,  and  thereby  we 
are  shown  how  keenly  the  dog  is  appreciative  of 
the  harmony  existing  between  itself  and  its  mas- 
ter. And  it  is  the  power  of  this  feeling,  which, 
on  occasions,  prompts  the  animal  to  raise  its 
benevolence  even  to  the  degree  of  self-sacrifice. 
Altogether,  it  appears  that  the  exercise  of  these 
higher  faculties,  under  favorable  conditions,  pro- 
duces in  the  soul  of  the  dog  a  degree  of  pleasur- 
able feeling  far  above  that  attained  by  many 
a  human  being.  As  a  result,  we  find  this  dog 
to  be  a  light-hearted  creature,  almost  always 
ready  for  exchange  of  pleasantries  with  its  fellows 
and  superiors.  A  like  condition  is  noticeable 
in  various  other  highly  developed  species,  for 
instance,  in  the  horse. 

But  now  we  have  to  consider  this  wealth  of 
feeling-power  also  as  it  appears  when  ungratified. 
Let  the  dog  lose  its  home  and  playmates ;  deprive 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


103 


it  of  their  good  will,  and  see  how  it  suffers !  Let 
it  be  taken  from  its  master,  and  observe  what 
painful  efforts  it  makes  to  find  him  again.  Let 
its  master  die ;  and  the  faithful  dog  sits  by  the 
grave  and,  wailing,  starves  until  it  also  dies !  Its 
grief  makes  it  oblivious  of  all  else,  and  thus  indi- 
cates to  what  a  high  degree  the  creature  has  been 
happy.  Why  should  noble  sentiment  meet  with 
such  an  end  ? 

In  looking  about  in  the  world  of  animals  and 
taking  note  of  the  variety  of  fates  to  which  the 
individual  creatures  are  subject,  we  find  the  con- 
ditions there  to  be  distributed  as  promiscuously 
as  they  are  on  the  plane  below,  only  in  greater 
variety  and  contrast ;  while  the  ultimate  attain- 
ment of  every  animal,  as  well  as  that  of  every 
plant,  appears  to  be  nothing  beyond  annihilation. 
We  will,  then,  leave  the  animal  plane  and  look 
into  the  fate  of  the  individual  in  our  own  sphere, 
the  human. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF   THE    WORLD. 


105 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

VARIETY    OF    FATES    AND    CHARACTERS    ON    THE 

HUMAN    PLANE. 

Our  purpose  does  not  require  that  we  travel 
about  among  all  the  races  of  the  Earth ;  for,  in 
our  own  civilized  community  are  to  be  found  all 
the  various  kinds  of  fate,  all  the  contrasts  between 
the  different  feelings  which  the  great  Spirit  ever 
demonstrates  in  the  form  of  human  life. 

In  this  higher  world  of  motion  we  find  as  many 
different  fates  as  there  are  souls  to  live  through 
them.  Although  the  human  souls  are  all  combi- 
nations of  the  animal  characteristics,  we  find, 
nevertheless,  also  on  our  plane  individual  repre- 
sentations of  each  of  the  propensities  in  separate. 
We  find  one  person  given  up  almost  entirely  to 
the  impulse  of  acquisition ;  he  is  the  personifica- 
tion of  greed.  Another  is  dominated  altogether 
by  the  propensity  to  destroy;  a  third,  by  some 
other  animal  desire,  and  so  forth ;  each  propensity 
is  almost  the  exclusive  owner  of  a  number  of 
lives ;  and  these  being  human  souls,  its  manifest- 


ation through  them  is,  of  course,  vastly  more 
pronounced  than  it  could  be  on  the  lower  plane. 
So,  also,  is  the  character  of  the  consequent  fate 
more  clearly  defined  with  respect  to  details. 
These  lives  are  caused  chiefly  by  the  aggravating 
influences  which  sometimes  gather  in  superior 
strength  about  a  certain  individual  and  his  family, 
promoting  the  activity  of  the  lower  faculties, 
while  at  the  same  time  impeding  the  development 
of  the  higher.  They  are  the  boundary-marks  of 
human  life  in  the  direction  of  darkness. 

Likewise  do  we  find  the  higher  traits  each  rep- 
resented in  certain  souls  in  such  prominent  degree 
as  to  be  practically  the  master  of  the  individual. 
Thus,  we  know  of  instances  where  the  desire  for 
friendship  is  so  pronounced  that  the  death  of  the 
one  friend  means  also  the  death  of  the  other. 
Love  of  home,  desire  for  praise,  the  higher  moral 
sentiments,  as,  for  instance,  veneration,  benevo- 
lence, conscientiousness,  etc.,  are  each  almost  the 
sole  owner  of  a  number  of  persons.  In  a  third 
direction,  we  meet  with  those  in  whom  the  all- 
powerful  voice  is  given  to  the  separate  faculties 
of  the  intellect :  One  will  sacrifice  all  his  feelings 
to  his  love  of  art ;  another  lives  only  for  the  pur- 
suit of  some  branch  of  science.  Each  of  these 
human  souls,  in  its  singleness  of  purpose,  goes 


io6 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


out  into  the  world  of  life  to  establish  with  all  the 
powers  at  its  command  the  boundary-mark,  or 
outside  limit,  of  a  single  faculty.  Thus  does  the 
Spirit  extend  in  all  directions  the  conscious  life  of 
the  community  as  a  whole ;  and  this  remains  evier 
intact,  because  each  phase  of  life  is  always  to  be 
found  somewhere  represented  by  some  one  or 
more  individuals. 

The  contemplation  of  these  various  feelings  in 
their  extremes  aids  us  in  forming  the  true  esti- 
mate of  their  relative  values.  We  have  observed 
their  effect  upon  the  animals  and  know  it  also 
from  personal  experience.  We  find  that  the  fac- 
ulties exert  the  same  kind  of  influence  on  our 
plane  that  characterizes  them  on  the  lower;  the 
feelings  which  they  give  rise  to  are  merely  intensi- 
fied :  First,  our  body,  being  more  refined,  enjoys 
a  higher  degree  of  pleasurable  feeling ;  but  it  is 
also  more  easily  hurt  and  possesses  greater  capac- 
ity for  suffering.  The  nerves  which  watch  over 
the  safety  of  the  human  body  are  necessarily 
more  alive  to  report  whatever  disturbance  may 
come  to  any  part.  Thus  our  body  must  pay  for 
the  refinement  of  its  pleasurable  feelings  with  an 
increased  susceptibility  to  pain.  Then,  the  pro- 
pensities pertaining  to  the  bodily  functions  cause 
in  the  one   direction  a  higher  degree  of  enjoy- 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD.  ID/ 


ment;  in  the  other,  greater  misery.  For,  that 
which  they  seek  to  gratify  is  not  the  body  of  a 
simple  animal  soul,  biit  that  of  a  human.  Like- 
wise the  social  and  all  the  other  higher  and  lower 
desires  in  the  interest  of  the  self  must  cause 
increased  intensity  of  feeling  in  both  directions ; 
for  they  are  human ;  they  pertain  to  the  human 
world  and  to  all  that  comes  forth  therein. 

Now,  we  have  long  ago  observed  that  the  world 
of  creatures  is  an  inseparable  part  of  the  world 
of  substance.  This,  we  have  seen,  is  created  for 
the  particular  purpose  of  demonstrating  changes 
in  relationships.  All  creatures  dependent  upon 
the  world  of  substance  are  compelled  to  share  its 
destiny :  that  of  an  everlasting  state  of  warfare, 
in  which  they  all  must  find  their  place  and  also 
their  destruction.  All  things  in  this  world  of 
strife  that  are  dear  to  us,  are  liable  at  any  moment 
to  be  taken  from  us,  —  and  the  pleasure  of  pos- 
session turns  into  the  pain  of  loss.  All  earthly 
bonds  of  soul  and  body  are  destined  at  some  time 
to  be  cut  in  two ;  and  thus,  in  looking  about  at 
all  the  human  lives  which  people  our  Earth,  we 
become  aware  that  in  their  midst  are  at  every 
moment  represented  all  the  various  kinds  of  feel- 
ing, from  the  highest  happiness  of  which  man  is 
capable  down  to  his  deepest  misery.     We  see  that 


I08         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

the   Spirit    demonstrates  its  contrasts  of  life  as 
things  of  simultaneous  existence.     Now  we  ask, 
"How  are  these  conditions  of  the   soul  divided 
among  the  individuals  > "     A  single  glance  shows 
us  that  there  is  as  great  a  variety  of  contrast  pre- 
vailing between  the  fates  of  the  entire  lives  as 
there  is  between  the  contents  of  the  moments. 
Not   alone   are   the   powers   of    life,    or    feeling, 
unequally  distributed,  but  likewise  the  opportuni- 
ties  for  their  gratification  :  One  has  all  the  powers 
of  feeling  which  happiness  requires,  but  cannot 
enjoy  for  want  of  the  proper  chance ;  another  is 
favored  with  opportunities,  but  lacks  the  powers 
of  feeling ;  a  third  is  happy  in  the  possession  of 
both ;  a  fourth,  again,  is  not  blessed  with  either, 
and   his   life   passes   away  as  one  long,  gloomy 
shadow.     Then  we  see  how  the   lives  differ   in 
respect  to  their  duration. 

Man  naturally  pins  his  happiness  to  the  gratifi- 
cation of  his  desires,  of  whichever  kind  these  may 
be;  and  when  either  his  body  or  soul  is,  through 
adverse  influences,  disturbed  in  the  activity  pecu- 
liar to  his  nature,  he  finds  himself  in  pain.  Is 
the  happy  or  unhappy  fate  of  man  his  own  mak- 
ing, or  does  it  depend  on  influences  beyond  his 
power  ?  On  close  observation  we  find  that  every 
life  is  shaped  at  the  same  time  from  within  and 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD.  lOQ 

without.  Each  person  simultaneously  moves  and 
is  moved.  Each  one  presses  onward  in  the  direc- 
tion of  his  individual  preference,  and  each  one's 
course  must  likewise  suffer  constant  alteration  by 
the  motions  of  the  World  surrounding.  Fortune, 
the  all-powerful  creature,  which  moves  along 
through  the  well-connected  chain  of  the  World's 
events,  thus  leads  one  person  through  a  life  of 
pleasure  to  a  peaceful  death,  and  another  through 
the  very  opposite  to  end  in  agony. 

Now  we  ask,  "Do  these  various  fates  come 
to  the  respective  individuals  deservedly.^"  A 
comparison  between  the  fates  and  the  characters 
which  experience  the  same  makes  it  apparent  to 
us  that  the  former  are  never  precisely  in  accord 
with  the  latter ;  indeed,  the  two  appear  to  us  as 
being-  often  widely  inconsistent  with  each  other. 
In  our  estimation  of  the  proper  course  of  justice, 
the  person  who  is  the  most  active  in  the  interest 
of  his  fellow-beings  should  be  the  one  most  kindly 
treated ;  while  the  one  who  proceeds  in  the  oppo- 
site direction  should  in  every  instance  meet  dis- 
aster. And  yet,  how  many  a  noble  act  brings 
misery  upon  the  doer,  and  how  often  does  a  self- 
ish deed  return  to  whence  it  came,  apparently  not 
in  the  form  of  punishment,  but  rich  reward !  So 
may  a  man  through  sheer  wickedness  acquire  for- 


no         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


tune  and  a  powerful  position,  be  an  oppressor  of 
the  poor,  squander  the  substance  which  he  steals 
from  others,  in  the  gratification  of  his  animal 
desires,  —  and  yet  be  smiled  upon  by  Fortune 
and  an  extensive  circle  of  applauding  friends. 
His  is  but  the  undeveloped  animal-soul  having  at 
its  command  a  human  body  and  a  human  intellect. 
His  conscience  is  but  small,  and  therefore  cannot 
trouble  him  in  just  proportion  to  the  degree  in 
which  he  troubles  others.  His  life  may  even  find 
a  painless  end.  So,  on  the  other  hand,  may  one 
whose  very  virtues  hinder  him  from  rising  in  the 
World,  who,  moreover,  sacrifices  the  little  that  he 
has  to  the  good  of  others,  —  be  condemned  to 
suffer  a  life  of  misery  and  persecution,  and  to 
ultimately  end  in  poverty  and  pain,  forsaken  by 
the  world  of  fellow-beings  even  long  before  he  is 
allowed  to  die.  Between  these  two  extremes  of 
worldly  fortune  we  find  distributed  the  multitude 
of  contrasts  in  reward  and  punishment  for  good 
and  evil :  As  the  Sun  shines  equally  upon  the  just 
and  the  unjust,  so  may  fall  upon  them  both  the 
shadow  of  misfortune.  Moreover,  we  cannot 
close  our  eyes  to  the  discovery,  that,  even  if  the 
individuals  were  able  to  insure  the  acquisition  of 
the  worldly  favors  through  nobility  of  conduct, 
these  goods  would  still  remain  beyond  the  reach 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


Ill 


of  many;  for,  the  chances  of  developing  the 
necessary  character  are  unevenly  divided.  Let 
us  consider  this  fact  for  a  moment. 

We  have  seen  how  the  Spirit  evolves  the  facul- 
ties of  man  by  means  of  the  three  principles : 
Space,  Substance,  and  Motion.  These  three  are 
as  indispensable  on  one  plane  of  existence  as  they 
are  on  the  other ;  neither  of  them  can  come  forth 
anywhere  without  the  other  two  being  present 
also.  Character  is  the  outcome  of  the  relations 
existing  between  the  various  faculties.  It  is  thus 
the  product  of  the  three  principles.  Viewing  it 
in  the  sense  of  being  an  object  under  considera- 
tion, we  may  here  regard  it  as  constituting  the 
substance ;  it  follows  that  the  appearance  and 
development  of  this  object  require  motion,  exer- 
cise, as  well  as  a  space,  a  sphere,  in  which  to 
move.  Have  all  characters  a  like  supply  of  these 
three  essentials  ?  Of  the  various  kinds  of  occu- 
pation in  the  community  each  requires  a  superior 
exercise  of  a  certain  set  of  faculties  to  a  cor- 
responding neglect  of  the  others.  While,  for 
instance,  the  occupation  of  the  business  man 
tends  to  increase  the  activity  in  the  faculties  of 
acquisitiveness  and  secretiveness  in  preference  to 
those  of  veneration  and  spirituality,  the  vocation 
of  the  preacher  is  calculated  for  an  effect  directly 


112 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


the  reverse.  The  one  occupation  is  as  necessary 
to  the  welfare  of  the  community  as  the  other; 
but  each  brings  the  soul  into  a  different  sphere  of 
action,  and  the  characters  which  are  to  move  in 
this  sphere  and  through  their  exercise  to  develop, 
must  necessarily  adapt  themselves  to  the  limits 
by  which  they  find  themselves  surrounded.  We 
may  find,  here  and  there,  persons  that  seem  to  be 
originally  designed  to  fill  with  a  beneficial  influ- 
ence a  sphere  of  wide  proportions,  through  adverse 
circumstances  remain  confined  within  a  world  of 
action  so  small  and  far  beneath  their  station,  that, 
in  sheer  despair  over  their  imprisonment,  they  let 
go  their  hold  upon  their  aspirations,  and,  for  the 
time  being,  sink  back  into  the  depths  of  vice  and 
misery  :  the  lesser  sphere  has  obdurately  hindered 
the  activity  of  the  higher  powers,  while  encour- 
aging that  of  the  lower.  Again,  there  are  souls 
of  smaller  powers  of  expansion,  which,  through 
outer  influences,  drift  into  a  higher  sphere  than 
they  seem  to  be  intended  for,  and  by  the  power 
of  its  influence  become  impelled,  even  against 
their  individual  inclination,  toward  reaching  out 
beyond  their  personality,  so  that  eventually  they 
may  attain  a  comparatively  elevated  state  of  being : 
these  have  received  more  motion  and  a  larger 
sphere  in  which   to  move,  and  thus  assume  an 


A   SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD.  II 3 

appearance  of  being  superior  in  their   nature  to 
the  former,  less  favored  persons. 

Such  are  the  extremes  of  fortune  as  regarding 
the  conditions  offered  for  development  of  charac- 
ter. Human  life  appears  to  us  a  perpetual  mov- 
ing about  of  differently  developed  beings  through 
one  another's  places.  Those  of  the  greatest  mov- 
ability  are  the  ones  most  favored  with  chances  for 
development,  inasmuch  as  they  pass  through  the 
greatest  variety  of  spheres  of  action.  But,  like 
the  trees  which  crowd  each  other  in  the  forest, 
not  one  is  in  any  sphere  permitted  an  unfoldment 
perfectly  symmetrical  in  all  directions ;  for  the 
conditions  are  never  thus  encouraging.  Now,  we 
might  say,  "  Unfavorable  influences  may  be  over- 
come through  a  superior  exercise  of  will."  How- 
ever, as  we  know,  will-power  is,  like  all  the  other 
constituents  of  character,  a  faculty  the  relative 
strength  of  which  is  determined  within  the  indi- 
vidual from  the  beginning  of  his  life.  No  two 
characters  are  endowed  with  an  equal  share  of 
this  force ;  its  apparent  superabundance  in  one 
person  is  offset  by  a  corresponding  deficiency  in 
another;  and,  of  course,  each  can  exercise  that 
only  which  he  has.  The  power  of  will  is  to  grow 
through  the  medium  of  its  exercise ;  but  in  the 
course  of  its  development  we  see  it  often  succumb 


h 


114         A    SPIRITUAL   TOUR    OF    THE   WORLD. 

to  forces  that  are  at  the  moment  still  superior. 
Thus  we  find  that  the  beauty  and  power  of  the 
soul  are  as  much  dependent  upon  the  joint  action 
of  both  the  individual  and  his  surroundings,  as 
are  the  health  and  strength  of  the  body,  and  the 
favors  of  this  World  in  general.  Nothing  in  this 
Universe  can  ever  take  its  course  independently. 
In  order  that  the  unfoldment  of  its  principles 
from  the  World's  foundation  upward  may  continue 
in  the  proper  order,  the  Universal  Spirit  must 
forever  keep  the  fates  of  all  its  creatures  closely 
interwoven,  and  continue  throughout  to  be  the 
sole  directing  power  over  each  and  all  in  every 
smallest  detail ;  or  the  World  would  at  once  disin- 
tegrate. 

We  have  already  perceived  that  there  is  no 
power  but  that  of  the  Universal  Spirit,  and  that 
nothing  can  find  existence  in  this  Universe  which 
is  not  called  for  by  the  voice  of  necessity.  We 
know  that  this  call  is  a  continuous  one,  and  that 
there  is  none  other  possible  which  could  make 
itself  perceptible  in  opposition  to  it.  This  de- 
mand for  strict  consistency  between  that  which  is 
and  that  which  is  to  be  is,  in  other  words,  the  call 
for  Justice.  We  may  feel  assured  that  the  Spirit 
responds  to  each  such  call,  because  the  Spirit 
itself  is  the  source  of  each,  and  because  this  is 


A   SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


IIS 


the  only  way  in  which  the  World  can  remain 
intact.  However  much  the  human  sense  may 
shrink  from  acknowledging  the  fact :  it  still  re- 
mains the  truth  that  the  evil  as  well  as  the  good, 
the  misery  as  well  as  the  happiness,  come  forth 
into  the  World  because  necessity  demands  them 
all.  For  the  same  reason  is  the  fate  of  individ- 
uals not  consistent  with  the  character  of  their 
life.  How  could  this  unequal  distribution  take 
place  if  the  omnipotent  Spirit  did  not  will  it 
thus }  The  eye  of  the  personality  may  not  per- 
ceive the  justice  which  regulates  our  fates;  for 
Justice,  the  true  and  the  real,  is  the  life  of  the 
Spirit  itself.  The  human  eye  sees  that  part  of 
its  operation  merely  which  becomes  visible  from 
an  individual  point  of  view;  and,  the  personal 
powers  of  perception  being  limited  in  all  direc- 
tions and  not  evenly  proportioned  amongst  one 
another,  the  little  which  they  do  reflect  must  ever 
appear  more  or  less  vague  and  distorted.  There- 
fore we  know,  that  reality  is  always  different 
from  its  appearance  to  the  individual.  And  thus 
we  find  that  Justice,  this  system  of  reward  and 
punishment,  has,  in  truth,  not  that  nature  which 
the  limited  human  mind  attributes  to  it.  The 
more  the  soul  expands  beyond  the  sphere  of  its 
own  personality,  the  more  clearly  does  it  perceive 


ij! 


II 


Il6         A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD. 

that  he  who  seeks  Justice  in  its  appearances 
merely,  will  never  find  it.  Justice  is  greater  than 
reward  and  punishment ;  it  is  of  a  higher  nature ; 
and,  therefore,  he  who  would  acquire  a  true  con- 
ception of  it,  must  first  rise  out  of  the  sphere  of 
the  personality.  We,  who  are  still  creatures  of 
the  Earth,  each  confined  within  his  own  limited 
sphere,  struggling  for  existence,  constantly  sub- 
ject to  alternate  happiness  and  misery,  pursuing 
the  one  and  shrinking  from  the  other,  —  we  will 
make  the  attempt  to  rise  out  for  the  moment  and 
see  what  views  we  can  obtain  of  the  secret  nature 
of  this  Divine  Justice  which  shapes  our  destinies, 
and  upon  the  right  conception  of  which  depends 
our  ultimate  well-being. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  REASON  FOR  OUR  SUFFERINGS;  OUR 
RELATION  TO  THE  EVIL. 

Let  us,  then,  begin  with  the  question,  "Why 
does  the  all-powerful,  the  all-wise,  and  harmonious 
Spirit  cause  its  creatures  to  suffer.?"  —  When  we 
sum  up  the  observations  that  we  have  so  far  made, 
we  shall  find  that  the  answer  to  this  question  is 
practically  already  contained  within  them :  We 
have  seen  that  the  World  with  all  its  creatures  is 
the  personality,  the  medium,  through  which  the 
Spirit  feels  its  existence.  Each  creature  demon- 
strates one  phase  of  the  Spirit's  life,  or  power 
of  feeling.  Now,  when  we  look  once  more  into 
the  nature  of  the  fundamental  principles,  we  are 
reminded  that  each  of  them  is  but  a  demonstra- 
tion of  relationship  between  parts,  a  manifesta- 
tion of  contrast.  That  which  cannot  be  compared 
with  something  else,  is  impossible  of  existence. 
This  idea  of  contrast  is  therefore  the  structure 
upon  which  the  World  is  built.  We  have  seen 
that  in  its  ideas  of  Space,  Substance,  and  Motion 


'it 


ii8 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


the  Spirit  establishes  contrast  primarily  with 
respect  to  extent.  Following  the  course  of  their 
unfoldment,  we  have  observed  how  the  Spirit  fur- 
ther causes  them  to  make  their  relationships  man- 
ifold :  the  more  contrasts,  the  more  existence. 
Thus  we  perceive,  first,  the  simple  contrast 
between  Space  and  Substance :  an  object  needs  its 
volume  of  Space  in  which  to  exist.  Then  we  see 
how  light  is  offset  by  darkness :  light  is  vibration, 
motion  of  substance ;  the  substance  requires  a 
space  in  which  to  move,  to  vibrate,  and  this  motion 
cannot  become  apparent  unless  there  simultane- 
ously appears  a  state  of  calm,  or  another  kind  of 
motion  —  as  a  contrast.  Thus,  light  needs  for 
its  existence  a  space  of  darkness,  and  we  must 
know  the  darkness  before  we  can  become  con- 
scious of  the  nature  of  light.  In  like  manner  do 
the  vibrations  of  life  fill  out  the  abyss  of  death. 
Each  of  these  exists  only  through  the  contrast 
between  itself  and  its  opposite;  and  the  soul 
which  is  to  reflect  the  one,  must  necessarily  have 
also  received  into  itself  the  likeness  of  the  other. 
We  understand  that  life  is  the  most  perfect 
harmony  of  vibration.  Death  means  the  most 
complete  discord,  a  condition  in  which  the  general 
counteraction  is  so  perfect  that  out  of  this  chaos 
nothing  whatever  can  come  forth  and  make  itself 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


119 


by  any  means  perceptible.  Harmony  is  felt  by 
us  as  happiness  ;  discord,  as  misery.  These  two 
fill  out  our  entire  life ;  they  are  the  world  of  con- 
trasts perceived  through  our  power  of  feeling. 
The  more  strongly  these  are  reflected  within  us, 
the  more  do  we  feel,  or  live ;  and  it  is  quite  obvi- 
ous, that,  if  either  of  the  two  were  missing  in 
our  experience,  the  other  would  be  imperceptible, 
too,  and  therefore  would  not  exist  to  us  :  the  soul 
must  have  personally  felt  the  pain  before  it  can 
become  aware  of  the  nature  of  the  opposite, 
pleasure.  For  instance,  it  would  be  impossible 
for  us,  if  we  had  never  had  any  bodily  discomfort, 
to  consciously  enjoy  a  state  of  bodily  well-being. 
Our  knowledge  of  pain  could,  in  that  case,  be 
merely  an  intellectual  one.  Not  even  could  our 
imagination  then  create  for  us  a  picture  which 
our  feelings  could  recognize.  As  the  power  of 
feeling  lies  neither  in  the  intellect,  nor  in  the 
imaginative  faculties,  we  should  be  unable  to  con- 
trast any  picture  of  pain  that  we  might  see  with 
our  condition  of  health,  so  far  as  feeling  is  con- 
cerned :  No  suffering,  —  no  enjoyment.  This 
contrast  between  pain  and  pleasure  is  as  neces- 
sary for  the  enjoyment  of  the  higher  feelings  as 
it  is  for  that  of  the  lower.  How. clearly  is  this 
shown,  for   instance,  with  respect  to  home  and 


i 


1 20         A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF   THE    WORLD. 

friends :  who  ever  appreciates  these  so  keenly  as 
the  one  who  has  been  without  them  for  a  while  ? 
All  gratifications  of  the  soul  are  subject  to  the 
same  law  of  contrast,  —  even  the  moral ;  for  each 
of  them  is  an  experience  of  a  certain  harmony  in 
the  feelings  succeeding  its  opposite,  the  discord- 
ant state  of  feelings  ungratified  ;  and  this  contrast 
between  the  feelings  of  the  individual  is  the  pur- 
pose for  which  the  changeful  character  of  our 
existence  is  maintained,  —  even  that  of  our  moral 
existence. 

Here  we  are  reminded  of  the  fact  that  the 
greater  part  of  human  suffering  arises  from  what 
we  call  "evil  thoughts  and  deeds,"  themselves  to 
us  the  greatest  of  all  discords.  Let  us  now  seek 
to  discover  the  true  relation  in  which  the  world 
of  humanity  stands  to  these. 

To  begin  with  :  What  constitutes  the  evil  char- 
acter.^ In  its  most  pronounced  form  it  is  the 
conscious  desire  to  cause  discord  for  its  own  sake ; 
in  other  words,  the  willful  assertion  of  self  in 
opposition  to  the  character  of  the  Universal 
Spirit.  We  see  that  it  arises  from  the  selfish 
propensities.  Do  we  find  it,  then,  in  the  animal- 
world  ?  No ;  for  the  animals  are  too  little  con- 
scious of  the  nature  of  the  World  for  them 
ever   to   perceive  the   same   as   being   an  object 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


121 


1' 

I 


for  willful  opposition.  The  lion,  for  instance,  is 
not  morally  responsible  for  the  murders  which  he 
commits ;  he  has  no  other  motive  than  preserva- 
tion of  self,  and  his  propensities  must  act  accord- 
ingly;  he  knows  nothing  of  the  higher  Law. 
Even  the  cat  which  destroys  a  mouse  without 
devouring  the  same  is  not  considered  as  having 
done  anything  which  does  not  accord  with  the  law 
of  its  life.  Cat  and  mouse  are  placed  in  their 
relation  to  each  other  by  the  law  of  the  Spirit,  so 
that  the  mice  may  be  prevented  from  killing  too 
many  of  the  smaller  animals.  The  cat,  in  turn, 
is  hindered  by  others  from  d.oing  away  with  too 
many '  mice.  The  Spirit  preserves  the  animal- 
world  in  proper  equilibrium  by  way  of  directing 
the  various  species  to  exercise  their  destructive- 
nessupon  one  another.  The  cruelty  of  the  cat 
toward  the  mouse  is  nothing  worse  than  the 
animal's  gloating  over  the  capture  of  its  enemy. 
Animals  cannot  become  truly  conscious  of  the 
pain  which  they  inflict,  and  are  therefore  not  to 
be  considered  as  being  what  we  call  "evil.*' 

We  must  look  for  the  evil  character  on  our  own 
plane :  When  a  human  soul  is  active  enough  to 
discern  the  difference  between  harmony  and  dis- 
cord in  others,  and,  notwithstanding,  permits  its 
animal  propensities  to  predominate  over  its  higher 


122 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


faculties,  the  character  of  that  soul  may  be  con- 
sidered as  being  consciously  bad.  The  higher 
faculties  have,  in  such  a  case,  either  not  yet 
developed,  or  their  development  has,  through  a 
train  of  adverse  circumstances,  suffered  a  tempo- 
rary retrogression.  The  lower  impulses  are  with- 
out their  proper  guide.  Being  in  the  human 
body,  their  clamor  for  gratification  is  so  much  the 
more  terrible;  and,  by  the  help  of  the  intellect, 
the  discord  which  they  create  within  the  soul 
acquires  the  character  of  system.  The  finer 
voice,  which  would  cause  the  individual  to  recog- 
nize his  true  relationship  toward  his  fellow- 
creatures  and  to  rightly  appreciate  the  value  of 
harmony,  remains  for  the  time  imperceptible. 

However,  even  the  worst  of  characters  is  not 
allowed  to  remain  in  its  original  condition ;  what 
is  lacking  in  proper  guidance  within,  is  supplied 
by  forces  coming  from  without.  It  is  the  Law 
that  every  force  must  meet  its  opposition  :  as  the 
Spirit  preserves  the  equilibrium  on  the  lower 
plane  by  setting  the  propensities  of  each  creature 
against  those  of  the  others ;  so  does  it,  in  the 
same  manner,  maintain  the  proper  balance  on  the 
plane  of  human  life  by  causing  the  faculties  of 
each  individual  to  be  responded  to  by  those  of 
the    whole    community.     Every    vibration    must 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD.  123 

radiate  as  such  into  the  surroundings ;  and,  as 
the  sound  which  strikes  the  wall  must  always 
come  back  to  its  source  truly  echoed,  so  is  also 
each  act  destined  to  be  felt,  sooner  or  later,  by 
the  individual  from  whom  it  went  forth,  either 
agreeably  or  painfully,  according  to  the  motive 
which  prompted  it.  Thus,  an  evil  deed  is  re- 
sponded to  on  the  human  plane  in  the  nature  of 
punishment;  the  painful  effect  upon  the  perpe- 
trator is  calculated  to  arouse  his  undeveloped  or 
dormant  conscience,  so  that  he  may  cease  imag- 
ining that  disturbances  can  ultimately  bring  him 
any  pleasure. 

Where  the  individual  conscience  is  so  far  awak- 
ened that  evil  is  no  more  regarded  as  the  end, 
but  merely  as  the  means  to  an  end,  we  perceive 
the.  character  of  the  ordinary  animal-soul,  which 
is  controlled  by  the  desire  for  preservation  of  self 
at  any  cost.  In  the  human  this  desire  is  stronger 
and  more  manifold,  because  his  wants  are  greater 
and  more  numerous;  and  the  consequences  of 
the  gratification  of  this  desire  at  the  expense  of 
fellow-creatures  are  therefore  also  more  severe. 
He  meets  with  greater  opposition,  and  his  suffer- 
ing is  more  intense.  Thus  his  consciousness  is 
led  to  gradually  develop  into  the  power  to  perceive 
why  the  rights  of  others  are  to  be  respected,  so 


124         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

that  this  higher  sense  may  then  guide  him  toward 
finding  the  way  in  which  it  should  be  done.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  learns  to  give  attention  to  the  prompt- 
ings of  the  higher  self,  and  his  moral  faculties 
receive  their  due  exercise  and  consequent  develop- 
ment. Thus  takes  place  within  each  individual 
a  gradual  evolution  from  moral  discord  toward 
moral  harmony. 

Now,  however,  we  are  reminded  of  the  fact  that 
very  often  the  evil  is  apparently  not  responded  to 
in  the  form  of  punishment.  On  careful  observa- 
tion we  find  that  this,  too,  has  its  well-defined 
reason :  When  we  consider  how  morally  undevel- 
oped the  human  soul  is,  we  also  become  aware  of 
its  comparative  weakness.  If  the  full  force  of 
Justice  were  to  come  upon  it  suddenly,  the  soul 
would  not  be  able  to  pay  its  dues;  it  would  be 
bankrupt,  that  is,  the  soul  has  as  yet  not  done  so 
much  of  that  which  is  selfless  as  it  has  of  the 
opposite;  it  has  not  given  so  much  as  it  has 
taken.  Nor  has  it  evolved  a  power  which  would 
enable  it  to  cover  the  deficiency  by  any  immediate 
act,  if  such  an  one  were  suddenly  demanded.  If 
the  deeds  which  the  soul,  prompted  by  the  impulse 
of  self-preservation,  performs  through  the  medium 
of  its  body,  were  each  time  immediately  followed 
by  their  just  consequences   upon  the  latter,  the 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


I2S 


soul  would  not  get  a  chance  to  maintain  a  body  at 
all,  and  would  therefore  become  an  impossibility. 
That  which  impels  the  soul  to  live  is,  if  we  will 
take  a  general  view  of  the  subject,  nothing  else 
than  the  desire  for  gratification.  According  to 
how  far  the  soul  has  evolved,  will  its  desires  be 
low  or  high.  An  individual  of  a  low,  undeveloped 
character  cannot  yet  perceive  any  pleasure  in 
that  which  is  moral ;  therefore  he  cannot  yet  be 
moved  to  direct  his  energies  toward  procuring 
the  enjoyments  of  the  higher  kind.  Still,  his 
soul  wants  to  be  gratified,  or  it  would  be  without 
the  necessary  impulse  to  exist.  Therefore,  not 
yet  being  fit  for  the  true  kind  of  gratification,  it 
is  permitted  at  intervals  to  enjoy  the  apparent; 
the  payment  for  the  same  being  temporarily  sus- 
pended. Thus  is  preserved  the  strength  and  the 
impulse  of  the  undeveloped  soul  to  remain  in 
existence. 

Meanwhile,  the  individual's  gradually  awaken- 
ing conscience  succeeds  in  making  its  voice  more 
and  more  plainly  perceptible  in  the  very  midst  of 
his  apparent  pleasures,  discouraging  their  repeti- 
tion through  the  painful  feelings  which  it  causes 
within  him ;  and  thus  leading  him  gradually 
toward  a  condition  where  the  higher  faculties 
have  sufficiently  evolved  to  enable  him  to  perceive 


126 


A  SPIRITUAL  TOUR  OF  THE  WORLD. 


A  SPIRITUAL  TOUR  OF  THE  WORLD.    12/ 


: 


that  he  has  contracted  a  debt  :  where  he  at  last 
shall  feel  impelled  to  begin  its  payment  according 
to  the  Spirit's  Law;  placing  his  personality  in 
the  service  of  his  creditor,  the  Universal  Spirit. 
Thus  we  see  how  evolution  is  possible  only 
through  an  enforced  compromise  among  all  crea- 
tures. 

In  looking  about  among  the  various  characters, 
we  have  observed  that  they  all  differ  from  one 
another  in  degree  of  development ;  and  this 
observation  leads  us  to  a  clear  understanding  of 
the  relation  in  which  the  evil  stands  to  the  good 
with  respect  to  purpose :  We  see  that  the  evil 
character  does  not  meet  with  opposition  from 
merely  the  lower  faculties  of  the  community,  but 
likewise  from  the  higher.  While  the  former  com- 
pel the  individual  to  moral  progress  by  way  of 
meeting  like  with  like,  the  latter  exercise  upon 
him  the  power  of  persuasion  :  the  beings  of  higher 
development  meet  the  evil  with  good ;  they  exert 
upon  the  transgressor  their  power  for  good  by 
sending  his  vibrations  of  discord  back  to  him  in 
the  form  of  harmony,  and  thus  giving  him  an 
opportunity  for  better  comparison  between  the 
two.  He  thus  becomes  acquainted  with  the 
nature  of  the  higher  character  by  personal  inner 
contact,  learns  to  sense  through  his  own  feelings 


the  superiority  of  the  gratifications  enjoyed  by  a 
character  that  emanates  a  harmony  so  powerful, 
and,  as  is  quite   natural,  becomes  encouraged  to 
an  effort  of  substituting  these  for  his  own.     The 
example   is   before   him;  and,  as   we   know,  the 
gentle  power  of  persuasion  contained  in  its  placid 
demonstration  of  imperturbable  serenity  and  kind- 
ness proves  in  the  end  to  be  the  stronger  force. 
And  this  is  the  feature  in  which  we  may  discover 
the  reason  why  the  good  are  so  often  placed  in 
contact  with  the  various  kinds  of  evil  influence : 
We  have  seen  how  all  things  come  forth  through 
exercise  alone,  and  how  character  is  one  of  these. 
Character   demands   for   its  elevation  a  frequent 
active  demonstration  in  the  direction  of  goodness. 
This  exercise,  however,  always  requires  that  the 
performer  have  an  object  upon  which  to  act;  and 
this  must  be  an  object  of  resistance,  something 
to  cause  a  more  or  less  painful  effort.     We  may 
compare  this  exercise  of  the  soul  to  that  of  our 
arm  while    lifting    weights:    like   this,   the    soul 
must,  in  order  to  evolve  its  power  of  ascent,  con- 
stantly  practise   upon   something  that   tends   to 
bear   it  down  ;   and  this   object  of  resistance,  in 
this  case,  consists  in  the  evil  influence.     When 
the  exercise  of  the  arm  causes  a  certain  feeling  of 
soreness,  we  consider  this  an  indication  that  we 


128 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


129 


are  adding  somewhat  to  our  strength  of  muscle. 
The  absence  of  this  feeling  proves  that  there  has 
been  comparatively  little  effort,  and  consequently 
only  little  progress.  This  applies  with  equal 
force  to  the  soul.  For  instance,  when  a  sugges- 
tion comes  to  us,  calculated  to  arouse  our  self- 
interest,  which  then  clamors  for  gratification  at 
the  expense  of  our  neighbor,  we  naturally,  for 
the  time  being,  suffer  the  pains  of  discord.  We 
call  our  higher  faculties  to  increased  activity. 
When,  finally,  these  have  prevailed  and  once  more 
peace  is  restored  within,  then  we  feel  that  through 
this  exercise  we  have  gained  in  moral  power,  in 
force  of  elevation  ;  we  have  benefited  by  the  evil 
suggestion.  In  the  same  way,  when  we  have 
been  injured  by  an  erring  fellow-man,  and,  instead 
of  meeting  like  with  like,  we  exert  ourselves  in 
the  work  of  kindly  lifting  him  out  of  the  misery 
of  his  fault,  the  effort  of  showing  him  that  which 
we  perceive  as  being  right  and  good,  causes  these 
perceptions  to  become  so  much  the  more  clearly 
apparent  to  ourselves.  Better  perception  of  har- 
mony means  stronger  love  of  harmony,  and  makes 
clear  the  way  to  its  attainment.  The  forces 
required  for  our  progress  have  been  increased 
through  the  exercise  which  they  were  compelled  to 
undergo ;  thus  we  have  benefited  by  the  evil  deed. 


We  may,  then,  look  upon  all  the  evil,  which  is 
the  cause  of  so  much  of  the  misery  through 
which  we  are  obliged  to  pass,  as  being  in  this 
World  for  the  express  purpose  of  making  possible 
the  evolution  of  the  good.  In  every  respect  the 
good  and  the  evil  exist  for  one  another,  just  like 
any  other  pair  of  opposites  that  we  may  think  of. 
The  good,  too,  can  become  perceptible  through 
its  contrast  only  with  the  opposite,  the  evil. 

This  principle,  contrast,  contains  one  more 
feature  to  be  considered ;  and  this  is  a  most 
important  one :  We  find  that  the  feelings  of  pain 
and  pleasure  do  not  depend  merely  upon  the 
extent  of  contrasts  experienced,  but  also  upon 
the  manner  in  which  these  experiences  of  con- 
trasts follow  one  another.  When  we  have  for* 
some  time  continued  in  one  certain  condition,  the 
feeling  attendant  upon  the  same  gradually  loses 
its  power  to  impress.  The  recollection  of  its  con- 
trast with  a  former  state  fades  away  from  us.  A 
new  condition,  a  new  experience  of  contrast,  — 
and  our  power  of  feeling  is  again  aroused  to 
higher  activity.  Thus  our  pain  or  pleasure  in- 
creases or  diminishes  according  to  the  amount 
of  time  which  elapses  while  we  move  from  one 
condition  into  another.  We  will  consider,  for 
instance,  the  feelings  of  the  body  in  health  and 


i  1 


I30 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


in  sickness :  A  man  has  for  years  been  in  good 
health.  He  has  gradually  become  so  accustomed 
to  this  that  he  has  nearly  lost  the  recollection  of 
ever  having  been  in  any  other  condition  ;  there- 
fore he  is  now  likewise  almost  unconscious  of  his 
pleasurable  state  of  health.  Suddenly,  however, 
he  becomes  ill.  Now  his  feelings  are  aroused. 
He  becomes  painfully  aware  of  a  growing  contrast 
between  his  present  condition  and  the  former. 
After  a  while,  when  the  picture  of  sickness  has 
once  more  become  strongly  impressed  upon  his 
feelings,  he  begins  to  recover.  By  degrees  his 
body  returns  into  its  usual  harmonious  condition 
and  regains  its  former  strength.  He  perceives 
how  each  day  the  contrast  between  misery  and 
well-being  widens  in  his  favor ;  and  it  is  this 
motion  in  which  he  is  engaged  as  he  passes  from 
degree  to  degree,  that  must  force  his  powers  of 
feeling  to  their  close  attention.  These  are  com- 
pelled to  watch  the  course  of  improvement  taking 
place  in  the  body  with  the  same  vigor  that  they 
evinced  during  the  process  of  its  deterioration ; 
at  no  other  times  can  they  be  so  active.  And 
thus,  the  same  law,  which,  during  the  time  of  his 
getting  sick,  caused  him  to  experience  the  most 
acute  form  of  misery,  must  now,  during  his  pro- 
gress in  the  opposite  direction,  grant  him  the  high- 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


131 


est  degree  of  pleasure :  he  finds  that  getting  well 
is  more  pleasurable  than  being  well.  This  law 
applies  not  alone  to  the  conditions  of  the  body, 
but  likewise  to  those  of  the  soul.  In  every  in- 
stance the  highest  potency  of  feeling  has  its  being 
in  the  perception  of  the  change  itself. 

Through  causing  our  feelings  thus  to  alter- 
nately increase  and  diminish  their  activity,  ever 
fluctuating  between  discord  and  harmony,  work 
and  rest,  the  Spirit  preserves  and  increases  their 
power.  In  the  fact  that  the  most  painful  feeling 
in  the  soul  arises  from  a  perception  of  moral  retro- 
gression, while  the  most  pleasurable  comes  forth 
as  a  consequence  of  moral  progress,  we  have  a 
conclusive  evidence  that  the  Spirit  preserves  the 
life  of  the  soul  for  no  other  purpose  than  for 
the  demonstration  of  progress  in  the  direction  of 
well-being  through  moral  evolution.  Through  the 
law  of  contrast  we  are  shown  the  right  direction 
by  the  pain  that  our  moral  sense  encounters  in 
the  opposite.  In  all  things  we  are  constrained  to 
suffer  before  we  can  enjoy. 

At  this  point,  however,  we  are  reminded  of  the 
observations  that  we  made  before,  and  now  there 
forces  itself  upon  our  mind  that  great  question : 
"  If  progress  in  the  direction  of  well-being  is  our 
destiny,  why  are,  nevertheless,  so  many  creatures 


X 


132 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


doomed  to  undergo  more  misery  than  happiness, 
and  why  do  so  many  lives  end  in  suffering?" 
Let  us  try  to  find  an  explanation. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

LEADING    TO    AN    EXPLANATION    OF    THE     INEQUAL- 
ITY   OF    OUR    FATES. 

We  have  convinced  ourselves  that  the  Spirit's 
final  object  is  the  evolution  of  feeling  through  the 
medium  of  variety  of   experience,  demonstration 
of  contrast.     Now,  however,  we  are  not  to  under- 
stand, that,  as  a  creature's  unhappy  moments  are 
the  necessary  background  to  its  happy  ones ;  so 
a  whole  life  of  misery  should  be  called  forth  to 
serve  as  offset  merely  to  another  life  consisting  of 
pleasure.     For,  as  we  know,  the  Spirit   demon- 
strates the  power  of  feeling,  or  life,  alone  through 
the  medium  of  its  individual  creatures ;  in  other 
words,  feeling  cannot   exist  independently  of  the 
created  being.     The  Spirit  radiates  its  life  into 
the  various  souls  as  the  Sun  sends  his  vibrations 
into  the  bodies,  and  there  only  can  the  feeling  be 
generated.     Thus  we  see  that  a  body  which  com- 
bines within  itself  the  sensations  of  all  creatures 
at  once,  does  not  exist. 

We  have  observed,  while  following  the  course 
of  evolution  from  the  very  first  principles  upward. 


/ 


134 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE   WORLD. 


I   ! 


that  the  Spirit  in  its  wholeness  is  alike  present 
within  each  of  its  creatures.  We,  of  course,  are 
not  able  to  detect  the  presence  of  all  the  faculties 
in  every  form  of  life,  but  these  are,  nevertheless, 
present  in  the  germ  in  each  creature,  and  only 
awaiting  the  opportunities  required  for  their  devel- 
opment. Likewise  is  the  Spirit's  character  of 
progressiveness  expressed  in  every  life,  and  this 
character  remains  ever  the  same.  The  one  Spirit 
being  equally  present  in  all  its  creatures,  and  at 
the  same  time  directing  their  fates  in  common,  it 
is  quite  impossible  that  any  one  of  these  should 
ultimately  receive  better  consideration  than  the 
rest.  And  such  a  thing  as  blind  chance  is  out  of 
the  question  altogether ;  for  the  various  fates  are 
so  closely  interwoven  with  one  another,  that  no 
room  is  left  for  anything  which  is  not  called  forth 
by  a  demand  of  necessity.  There  certainly  is  no 
necessity  for  an  unequal  distribution  of  good 
throughout  Eternity.  How  could  the  all-wise  and 
all-powerful  Spirit,  which  maintains  the  Universe 
by  its  will,  the  character  of  which  is  harmony, 
deliberately  create  anything  for  the  purpose  of 
final  discord  ?  This  would  prove  that  the  Spirit 
were  divided  against  itself;  for  the  proceeding 
would  be  an  injustice  such  as  even  the  human 
being  of  ordinary  development  would  not  commit. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD.  13  5 

And  how  could  the   Creator,  who  at   all   times 
maintains  his  power  over  his  creations,  and  whose 
wisdom  must  ever  remain  beyond  the  comprehen- 
sion of  any  individual  soul,  wish  to  be  less  just  to 
any  of  his  creatures  than  they  would  be  to  one 
another  ?     The  existence  and  continuance  of  the 
World  proves  that  harmony  is  the  ruling  power; 
if  it  were   not,  there  would  be  no  possibility  of 
any  thing  to   make  itself  perceptible  above   the 
perfect  discord,  the  chaos,  the  '*  no-thing."     When 
the  Spirit  succeeds  in  evolving  one  of  its  souls 
into  a  condition  of  happiness,  it  certainly  has  the 
power  to  do  the  same  by  all  the  others ;  for  it  is 
equally  present  in  all.     Where   in  any  one   the 
discord  ultimately  acquired  the  ascendancy  over 
the  harmony,  there  the  Spirit  would  have  suffered 
a  final*  loss ;    it  would  have  proven   itself  weak. 
Is  such  an  event  to  be  thought  possible  for  only 
a  moment  ?     Every  line  of  life-experiences  must 
upon  closer  observation  show  that  the  soul  which 
goes  through  them  is  stronger  at  the  end  than  it 
was   at   the  beginning;   for  the  individual   goes 
through  a  series  of  eArerczses.     Even  though  a  soul 
be  apparently  unsuccessful,  miserable,  and  finally 
vanish  from  the  scene  as  a  defeated  warrior,  — 
the  energy  with  which  it  fights  its  last  battle  is 
superior  to  that  with  which  it  came  to  Earth.     Its 


I 


136         A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF    THE   WORLD. 

qualities  in  general  have  improved  in  exact  pro- 
portion with  the  amount  and  greatness  of  hard- 
ships overcome.  In  the  course  of  its  troubled 
career  some  of  the  powers  of  the  soul  may  appar- 
ently vanish,  that  is,  they  may  disappear  from  our 
view.  But,  can  a  power  once  possessed  by  the 
soul  ever  be  lost }  When  a  force  has  disappeared, 
there  still  remains  the  possibility  of  proving  that 
this  force  has  merely  for  the  time  being  become 
latent  through  the  influence  of  some  other  force, 
or  else,  that  its  medium  is  no  longer  suitable  for 

its  use. 

Let  us  picture  to  ourselves  the  course  of  one 
of  these  lives  that  end  in  defeat :  We  will  sup- 
pose it  to  be  that  of  a  man  ending  as  a  slave  to 
the  lower  appetites.  When  he  first  comes  to 
Earth,  we  see  him  as  a  child,  in  appearance  very 
much  resembling  all  other  children.  The  little 
one  is  not  yet  quite  conscious  of  its  own  being ; 
it  is  still  free  from  care.  This  condition  expresses 
itself  in  the  features,  and  the  distinguishing  marks 
of  the  individuality  are  thus  to  a  great  extent  still 
hidden  from  view.  The  body  is  yet  small  and 
weak,  and  the  soul  within  cannot  fully  express 
itself,  until  it  has  put  this  little  body  through 
a  course  of  development.  The  brain,  however, 
already  contains  the  required  organs,  and,  upon 


'!! 


II 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD.  137 

close  observation,  it  may  be  noticed  that  its  pro- 
portions are,  from  the  very  start,  as  different  from 
those  of  all  other  brains  as  the  soul  within  differs 
from  all  other  souls.     This    fact   now  begins  to 
make  itself  more  and  more  manifest  in  the  child's- 
features  and  ways  in  general.     As  yet,  however, 
no  one  discovers  any  indication  of  the  great  evil 
which  is  lurking  within,  awaiting  its  opportunity 
to  develop.     The  evil  remains  still  hidden  in  the 
bud ;  it  has  not  yet  the  means  with  which  to  show 
itself.     Eventually,  the  child    evolves   into   man- 
hood,  and  the  man   is  at  liberty  to  enter  as   a 
responsible  factor  the  world  of  activity  and  temp- 
tations.    Now  all  the  qualities   of  his  soul  have 
an  equal  chance  to  come  forth  and   to   express 
themselves.     Until  now,  his  life  has  been  such  as 
to  encourage  the  action  chiefly  of  the  higher  fac- 
ulties.    The  training  which  he  received  did  not 
permit  any  gratification  of  the  lower  self  beyond 
the  degree  of  moderation.     While  the  higher  self 
was  being  cultivated,  his    animal  faculties  were 
counteracted,  hindered  from  their  full  expression ; 
they  have  to  that   degree   remained  latent^  and 
their  further  fate  now  depends  upon  his  own  free 
judgment.     We  will  suppose  that  they  were  orig- 
inally  more    powerfully   represented    than    their 
opposites.     The  result  is  that  they  will  now  grad- 


/ 


;!l 


138         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

ually  come  forth  and  make  their  nature  felt  with 
superior   energy  and   tenacity;   they  clamor   for 
individual  gratification.     The  training  received  by 
the  higher  faculties  has  not  been  quite  sufficient 
to  raise  these  into  such  superiority  over  the  pro- 
pensities that  they  might  now  keep  these  latter 
in    subjection    and   press   them    into   service   on 
the  higher  plane.     The  man's  powerful  impulse 
toward  preservation  of   self   thus  becomes  more 
and  more  confined  to  the  interests  of  the  body. 
He  is  led  to  pay  superior  attention  to  that  which 
is  attainable  on  the  material  plane.     He  does  not 
now  desire  to  merely  preserve  the  body,  but  to 
preserve  it  well.     This  means,  he  is  anxious  that 
its  sensations  should  be  as  pleasurable  as  possible. 
Thus  he  feels  attracted  toward  a  life  of  material 
enjoyment,    and,    as   a   consequence,    enters    the 
society    of    those    similarly    inclined.     All    this 
while,   his  moral  faculties  are  just  as  active  as 
they  would  have  been  under  other  circumstances, 
and  even  more  so ;  for  they,  in  their  comparative 
weakness,  yet  perceiving  the  danger  of  the  course 
pursued,  are  forced  to  be  the  more  energetic,  the 
greater  the  opposing  power.     There  takes  place 
many  an   inward  battle,  many  a  strong   remon- 
strance against  the  undue  animal  indulgence ;  and 
each  such  exercise  of  the  higher  faculties  must 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


139 


necessarily  increase  their  power.  Meantime,  how- 
ever, also  the  lower  must  grow,  from  the  same 
cause.  Moreover,  through  the  excessive  demands 
which  the  appetites  make  upon  the  body,  con- 
stantly exposing  the  same  to  all  kinds  of  destruc- 
tive influences,  this  becomes  so  exhausted  that  it 
gradually  deteriorates  in  the  quality  of  its  texture. 
The  brain  loses  its  power  to  perform  the  fine 
vibrations  required  for  bringing  thought  and  sen- 
timent into  the  sphere  of  personal  consciousness, 
and  thus  the  higher  faculties  of  the  soul  are  grad- 
ually deprived  of  the  service  of  their  organs  in 
this  body.  And  this  is  the  direct  cause  of  their 
defeat  in  this  man's  life :  For  want  of  a  proper 
medium  through  which  to  express  themselves, 
they  are  finally  forced  to  leave  the  body  in  the 
sole  possession  of  the  animal  propensities,  taking 
with  them,  of  course,  the  power  of  judgment 
concerning  the  body  itself.  In  consequence,  this 
latter  then  soon  ceases  to  be  serviceable  even  to 
the  lower  faculties,  and  must  be  abandoned  by 
these  also.  In  the  first  part  of  this  man's  life 
the  propensities  were  latent ;  in  the  latter  part, 
the  higher  faculties  ;  and  with  this  condition  came 
the  end.  The  soul  has  suffered  a  moral  defeat. 
But  are  we  justified  in  supposing  this  to  be  a  final 
one.?     We   have  seen  nothing  further  than  the 


A 


I40        A   SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 

reason  why  the  higher  faculties  were  forced  to 
abandon  their  body  before  this  itself  disintegrated. 
We  are,  moreover,  aware  that  destruction  is 
the  ultimate  destiny  of  all  bodies,  irrespective  of 
the  height  of  development  attained  by  the  soul 
within.  But  the  fact  that  we  no  longer  see  the 
power  which  animated  a  body,  is  not  a  proof  that 
this  power  has  deteriorated  or  ceased  to  exist. 

We  know  that  Justice  demands  the  like  ulti- 
mate  destiny  for  all  souls,  but  we  see   no   two 
individuals  end   their  career  at  the  same   point. 
The  Spirit,  which  maintains  the  Universe  intact 
throughout  the  ages,  certainly  has  the  power  of 
evolving  from  the  discord   the  highest  form    of 
harmony  in  all  souls  alike;  it  need  not  restrict 
itself  to  leading  them  through  only  such  a  line  of 
experiences  as  is  contained  in  one  short   Earth 
life.     Moreover,  when  we   observe   the  two   ex- 
tremes, the  happy  form  of  life  and  the  unhappy 
one,  we   stand    before   the   question,  "How   did 
those  who  live  either  of  these  two  acquire  the 
power  of  feeling  necessary  for  the  conscious  per- 
ception of  their  condition } "     As  we  have  seen, 
the   law  of  contrast   requires,  that,  in   order   to 
experience  with  the  feelings   the  one  condition, 
one  must  have  previously  had  a  personal  experi- 
ence of  the  other ;  in  order  to  know  the  taste  of 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD. 


141 


a  thing,  we  must  have  tasted  the  same  ourselves. 
One  might  suggest  that  the  soul  inherits  this 
knowledge  of  foreign  experiences  in  the  form  of 
intuition ;  and  it  cannot  be  denied,  that,  as  the 
body  inherits  certain  characteristic  qualities,  so 
the  soul  may  receive  from  the  parents  a  certain 
share  of  intuitive  knowledge.  However,  when 
we  consider  that  at  some  time  or  other  every  fam- 
ily must  die  out,  that  through  the  great  catas- 
trophes, such  as,  for  instance,  cataclysms,  which 
occur  from  time  to  time  and  revolutionize  the 
conditions  on  the  surface  of  the  planet,  whole 
races  of  beings  in  a  still  undeveloped  state  are 
suddenly  wiped  out  of  existence,  we  find  that  the 
law  of  heredity  is  surely  not  the  only  medium  of 
evolution.  This  fact  becomes  most  clearly  appar- 
ent to  us  when  we  consider  the  character  of  the 
great  and  good  souls  which  now  and  then  grace 
the  Earth  with  their  presence  in  human  form. 
These  are  in  power  of  thought  and  feeling  so  far 
superior  to  the  whole  race  in  which  they  are  born, 
that,  with  respect  to  them,  the  laws  of  heredity 
can  have  had  little  or  no  influence.  Each  soul  is 
to  evolve  its  powers  through  the  experiences  of 
its  own  life. 

Therefore,  as  the  soul  is  destined  for  the  high- 
est evolution,  as  it  is  to  gather  the  experiences 


/ 


142         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


through  which  to  evolve,  not  through  the  medium 
of  the  law  of  heredity,  but  by  its  efforts  as  an 
individual,  and  as  these  necessary  experiences 
cannot  possibly  all  be  gained  in  one  Earth-life, 
—  there  is  only  one  way  in  which  the  soul  may 
accomplish  its  purpose:  the  soul  must  preserve 
its  individuality  entirely  independent  of  the  body, 
so  that  when  its  life  in  one  body  has  come  to  an 
end,  it  may  enter  another,  and  thus  forever  freely 
move  from  life  to  life.  Why  should  this  not  be 
the  case  ?  When  the  soul  has  the  power  to  form 
and  manipulate  one  body,  why  should  it  not  be 
able  to  repeat  the  process.?  Let  us  see  what 
proofs  we  can  find  that  the  soul  is  thus  immortal. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    soul's    IMMORTALITY    AND    NECESSITY    FOR 
REAPPEARANCE    ON    EARTH. 

We  will  begin  by  reviewing  what  we  have 
learned  of  the  World's  character  in  respect  to 
immortality  in  general :  We  have  seen  that  the 
vibrations  of  the  Spirit  retain  their  individuality 
throughout  all  their  combinations  with  one  another. 
Not  an  atom  of  that  which  is  perceptible  to  us 
can  ever  vanish  from  existence.  The  smallest 
particle  of  dust  floating  in  the  air  is  as  important 
a  part  in  the  fabric  of  the  Universe  as  the  great- 
est heavenly  body,  and,  like  this,  exerts  its  influ- 
ence throughout  the  World.  Were  it  possible  to 
annihilate  even  so  small  an  object  as  this  speck  of 
dust,  the  vacancy  produced  would  result  in  the 
collapse  of  the  Universe  so  surely  as  the  removal 
of  a  wheel  connected  with  the  spring  of  a  clock 
would  cause  the  stand-still  of  the  works.  For 
the  atom  represents  a  vibration,  a  power  of  revo- 
lution, designed  to  fit  closely  into  the  great  chain 
of  the  World's  activity.     Likewise  is  each  life- 


i 


/ 


144         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

vibration  coming  from  the  Sun  an  immortal  power. 
We  see  that  its  force  may  ]ie  latent  for  ages  ;  but 
it  has  not  vanished  from  existence ;  it  will  reap- 
pear the  moment  in  which  the  conditions  set  it 
free  to  act.     For  instance :  the  rays  of  the  Sun 
combine  with  the  elements  to  form  a  forest  of 
trees.     In  the  course  of  time  these  turn  into  coal. 
The  power  of  these  life-vibrations  has  now  become 
latent.     For  ages  this  bed  of  coal  lies  hidden  in 
the  bosom  of  the  Earth,  until  it  is  found.     Man 
is   the  medium  through  which  this  latent   force 
is  to  regain  its  liberty;  the  coal  is  placed  in  a 
furnace  and   ignited.     A  part  of  the   substance 
turns  into  smoke  and  ashes,  and  eventually  returns 
to  the  Earth   once   more  to  unite  with  the  soil. 
Another    part,   however,    in    the    form    of    heat- 
vibrations,    enters   the   water  in   a   boiler.     The 
original   Sun-rays  are  now  active  in  the  steam. 
This  is  concentrated  so  as  to  act  in  one  particular 
direction,  its  force  entering  the  piston-rod  of  a 
machine.     The  life  is  now  in  the  latter.     We  will 
suppose  that  this  machine  is  used  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  a  musical  instrument.     This  being  com- 
pleted, the  power  has  once  more  become  latent ; 
it  is  in  the  instrument  which  it  helped  to  make,' 
again  awaiting  the  favorable  conditions  that  may 
set  it  free.     Now  the  musician  comes  and,  with 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


145 


him.  the  necessary  conditions.  As  he  calls  forth 
the  various  accords  of  which  the  instrument  is 
capable,  the  power,  in  the  form  of  sound-vibration, 
enters,  together  with  the  life  of  the  melody,  the 
ear  of  man,  and  through  his  brain  touches  his 
soul.  Here  these  vibrations  of  harmonious  sound 
make  themselves  perceptible  in  the  character  of 
what  we  may  call  "spiritual  warmth."  They 
have  thus  once  more  turned  into  life-vibrations ; 
and  the  soul,  impelled  by  them  to  higher  activity, 
refines  its  power  of  thought  and  feeling,  conceiv- 
ing ideas  which,  before,  had  been  beyond  its 
reach.  The  life-vibrations  of  the  Sun  are  now 
contained  in  these  ideas  and,  together  with  them, 
they  eventually  enter  once  more  the  world  of  mat- 
ter in  the  form  of  acts. 

*  As  we  are  aware,  every  act  is  a  motion,  a  vibra- 
tion, which  must  strike  some  part  of  the  Universe, 
whether  near  or  far,  and  thus  cause  another 
motion ;  that  is,  every  act,  being  a  transmission  of 
power,  has  its  certain  consequences.  Likewise  is 
every  act  in  itself  a  consequence,  and  we  under- 
stand that  there  cannot  be  an  end  to  consequences 
any  more  than  there  can  be  a  beginning  of  causes. 
The  power  which  thus  skips  from  place  to  place, 
from  object  to  object,  bound  fast  nowhere,  some- 
times mysteriously  disappearing,  then  reappearing 


146        A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

with  wonderful  suddenness  and  force,  being  for- 
ever  at  once  the  effect  and  the  cause,  proves  to 
be  immortal  in  both  directions.  It  is  an  emana- 
tion of  the  Spirit  itself,  and  each  such  motion, 
however  small  its  vibration  may  be,  eventually 
alters  the  Universe  in  every  part.  But,  individu- 
ally, it  must  ever  return  from  time  to  time  to  its 
original  character  of  life-vibration. 

The  Sun,  as  we  have  seen,  is  a  centralization  of 
such  power.     The  vibrations  which  he  emanates 
are   immortal.     This   being  the   case,  it  is   self- 
evident  that  the  nucleus  which  sends  them  out, 
namely,  the  Sun  himself,  is  equally  so.     Suppos- 
ing the  Sun,  as  a  body,  were  through  some  catas- 
trophe   suddenly   dissolved,    his    whole   store    of 
energy  would  nevertheless  continue  in  existence ; 
it  would  simply  enter  that  with  which  it  collided  \ 
though  changing  in  appearance,   it  would  retain 
Its  character,  its  mode  of  activity,  and  it  would 
know  its   source  as  well   as  it   does   now.     The 
same   law  applies  to  the  energy  of  the   created 
being :  this,  too,  is  a  centralization  of  power,  send- 
ing out  its  vibrations  in  the  form  of  thought  and 
deed  as  independently  as  the  Sun  emits  his  rays. 
The  act  being  immortal,  why  not  also  the  actor } 
While  we  see  the  living  creature  in  the  midst  of 
its   activity,    we   recognize   the   existence   of   its 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE   WORLD. 


147 


power,  or  soul,  even  though  we  cannot  perceive  the 
same  otherwise  than  through  the  medium  of  the 
acts  which  represent  its  character.  Supposing 
the  creature  now  lies  down  and  rests :  we  know 
that  its  forces  have  merely  become  latent;  we 
expect  them  to  come  forth  again  in  due  time. 
Now  it  sleeps  :  still  we  do  not  doubt  their  exist- 
ence ;  but  where  are  they  now }  We  know  that 
they  are  still  connected  with  that  body ;  for  they 
manifest  themselves  from  time  to  time  in  the 
form  of  dreams.  The  soul  is  allowing  its  brain  a 
period  of  rest,  and  presently  we  shall  see  it 
reappear  within  the  same  and  impel  the  creature 
to  its  usual  activity.  Where  does  the  soul  go 
while  its  servant  sleeps.^  It  may  go  anywhere 
and  nowhere.  While  observing  the  mysterious 
powers  of  intuition  in  plant,  animal,  and  man, 
we  have  seen  that  the  soul,  as  master  of  the 
body,  is  free  to  travel  independently  beyond  the 
same  through  Space  and  Substance,  as  well  as 
through  Time.  The  soul  is  therefore  not  an 
object  in  the  material  sense.  We  saw  that  the 
life-vibrations  which  entered  that  forest  and  sub- 
sequently found  their  way  around  through  the 
various  elements  and  through  the  soul  of  man, 
being  neither  bound,  nor  lost,  anywhere,  repre- 
sented the  condition  merely  of  that  through  which 


148         A    SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 

they  passed.  So  does  also  the  soul  show  itself 
as  the  condition  of  the  creature  which  represents 
it  We  see  that  the  soul  is  also  in  this  respect 
like  all  other  forces;  and,  when  we  remember 
that  it,  too,  is  an  indispensable  part'  of  the  Uni- 
versal energy,  and  originates  from  the  same 
Universal  Spirit,  we  can  no  longer  doubt  that  the 
power  which  constitutes 'the  soul  is  indeed  an 
immortal  power. 

Now,  we  have  remarked  that  this  force  distin- 
guishes itself  from  the  other  forces  through  mani- 
festing itself  in  organized  form.     Our  first  views  of 
the  nature  of  life  have  shown  us  the  superiority  of 
the  organized  power  over  the  unorganized.     We 
have  seen  how  the  soul  of  the  plant  combines  the 
various  elements  according  to   its  own  will  and 
design ;  the  plant  is  a  center  of  action.     We  see 
there  established  a  condition  which  has  the  power 
of  remaining  intact  in  the  midst  of  the  restless 
elements ;  the  desire  for  maintaining  this  organ- 
ized form  of  existence  is  evidenced    also  in   the 
fact   that    this    condition    constantly   reproduces 
itself  from  within  the  plant.     Likewise  are  both 
the  power  and  the  desire  present  in  the  animal ; 
while  in  man  this  condition  evolves  into  conscious 
desire    and    conscious    power.     The    awakening 
creature   proves   to   us   that  a  soul,  a  condition. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


149 


which  is  defined  clearly  enough  to  demonstrate 
itself  as  a  living  being  is,  by  virtue  of  its  individ- 
uality, enabled  to  remain  the  sole  possessor  of  its 
body  even  while  the  latter  sleeps.  During  dream- 
less sleep  the  greater  and  higher  part  of  the  soul, 
if  not  active  in  some  other  locality,  has  simply 
returned  into  that  state  of  (spiritual)  latency  in 
which  everything  is  bound  that  is  not  at  the  time 
called  forth  for  demonstration  by  the  demands  of 
necessity.  The  moment  in  which  this  call  arises, 
comes  forth  the  soul  and  once  more  takes  charge 
of  its  body  as  required. 

When,  for  a  while,  the  animation  of  the  body 
is,  so  far  as  we  can  discern,  suspended  entirely, 
the  degree  of  soul-power  still  maintained  within 
the  same  must  certainly  be  exceedingly  small. 
And  yet,  in  due  time  the  whole  soul  may  come 
back  and  once  more  take  up  its  wonted  habitation. 

Now,  when  the  body  has  been  deserted  by  its 
soul  forever,  when  we  see  the  creature  which  a 
while  ago  represented  a  center  of  vibrating  force, 
disintegrate,  we  are  not  to  conclude  that  for  this 
reason  the  soul-power  has  dissolved  also  and 
returned  into  the  universal  energy  as  a  multitude 
of  separate  vibrations,  just  as  any  other  force 
would  do.  For,  the  soul  is  an  organized  power. 
Its  various  faculties  have  firmly  united  to  mani- 


■A 


ISO        A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD. 


fest  themselves  as  one  character,  one  individual  ; 
their  powerful  desire  for  preservation  of  self  has 
become  one  and  inseparable ;  and  when  the  soul 
has  thus  for  any  length  of  time  maintained  itself 
intact  in  the  midst  of  the  world  of  activity,  it  is 
certainly  qualified  for  remaining  so  in  the  future, 
whether  it  be  called  to  return  into  the  silent 
bosom  of  the  Spirit,  or  again  to  come  forth  in  the 
form  of  a  creature. 

Plant  and  animal  prove  their  power  over  Sub- 
stance unconsciously;  man  knows  that  he  is  of 
the  Law,  that  is,  immortal ;  for  he  has  the  power 
to  consciously  perceive  Law  and,  to  a  degree, 
even  the  conscious  power  of  its  application.  The 
souls  of  the  lower  creatures  are  immortal  through 
their  mere  desire  to  be  in  existence.  Man  not 
only  feels  the  desire  to  be  immortal,  but  he  is  also 
conscious  of  the  power  to  be  so.  He  clearly  per- 
ceives that  he  is ;  he  looks  into  the  past,  and 
remembers  that  he  was ;  and  conscious  of  his 
superiority  over  the  world  of  matter,  he  feels 
that  he  always  z£//7/^^.-  the  same  conditions  that 
enabled  him  to  come  forth  once,  will  at  any  time 
allow  him  to  do  so  again  ;  and  who  can  doubt  the 
power  and  the  will  of  the  Spirit  to  repeat  these 
conditions  in  the  future  the  same  as  it  has  done 
in  the  past } 


A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD.  151 

Even  the  soul  which  leaves  the  sphere  of  activ- 
ity, moVed  by  the  desire  to  thereby  end  its  own 
existence  forever,  must  eventually  return  to  the 
.  scene  as  an  individual  being,  true  to  its  character. 
Such  a  soul  has  not  lost  its  desire  to  live;  it 
rejects  one  certain  kind  of  life  merely,  namely, 
that  to  which  its  own  personality  is  at  the  time 
subjected  ;  and  thereby  it  gives  evidence  of  how 
pronounced  its  character  as  an  individual  actually 
is.  This  soul  proves  that  it  has  a  very  pro- 
nounced preference  for  a  certain  kind  of  exist- 
ence, or  it  would  not  desire  to  end  its  present 
one.  It  wants  to  be  gratified  according  to  its 
own  desires ;  and  these,  in  every  instance,  arise 
either  directly  or  indirectly  from  the  personality, 
thus  impelling  it  with  irresistible  force  to  return 
to  that  only  plane  where  this  personality  is  per- 
mitted to  assert -it self,  namely,  the  Earth-life. 

So  must  also  the  soul  which  passes  out  in  the 
discord  of  insanity,  come  back  in  order  to  regain 
its  health.  When  we  take  a  general  view  of  the 
causes  of  insanity,  we  find  that  these  are  either 
physical  or  psychological.  When  the  cause  lies 
in  the  disturbed  condition  of  the  brain,  the  equi- 
librium is  lost  through  the  incapacity  of  the  organ 
merely  to  properly  express  the  soul.  When  the 
discord  appears  originally  in  the  soul  itself,  it  is 


if 


if 


152         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

in  every  case  to  be  traced  back  to  an  abnormal 
activity  among  the  faculties  in  the  direction  of 
some  interest  pertaining  to  the  self.  Though  the 
soul  has,  for  the  time  being,  apparently  lost  its 
consciousness  of  self,  it  has  not  by  any  means 
dissolved.  It  still  has  the  power  to  maintain  the 
life  of  its  body;  while  the  very  activity  of  the 
soul  in  asserting  the  self,  however  unconscious 
and  discordant  these  manifestations  may  be,  gives 
evidence  that  the  soul  is  only  too  anxious  to  pre- 
serve its  individuality,  and  that,  after  leaving  its 
present  body,  it  requires  a  period  of  rest  merely 
until  it  shall  be  fit  to  continue  the  process  of  its 
cure  in  the  next. 

Finally  we  must  consider  the  lives  and  expres- 
sions of  those  individuals  whom  we  recognize  as 
having  attained  the  highest  degree  of  unfoldment 
possible  for  man  on  Earth.  These  great  souls 
who  radiate  their  beneficial  influence  into  the 
lives  of  many  generations,  these  great  instructors 
of  mankind,  are,  as  we  know,  all  permeated  with 
the  firm  conviction  that  the  individuality  of  the 
soul  can  never  be  lost;  and  they  prove  the 
strength  of  their  conviction,  not  alone  by  their 
arguments,  but  by  their  very  lives.  Living  in 
better  harmony  with  the  Spirit's  Law  than  is  pos- 
sible to  their  less  developed  fellow-men,  they  are 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


IS3 


naturally  in  position  to  better  understand  the 
Spirit's  plans.  Thus  we  must,  of  course,  look  up 
to  these  more  advanced  minds  as  being  the  most 
trustworthy  authority  which  we  have.  We  see 
that  the  higher  form  of  consciousness  which  they 
possess  is  accompanied  by  a  more  perfect  love  of 
life.  They  look  upon  life  as  being  ours,  not  for 
temporary  enjoyment  merely,  but  for  the  purpose 
of  eternal  elevation ;  and  they  illustrate  their 
teachings  by  their  personal  conduct :  they  use 
their  Earth-lives  for  no  other  purpose  than  that 
of  helping  their  fellow-men  to  rise,  together  with 
themselves,  into  that  higher  form  of  existence 
which  they,  from  their  exalted  position,  are 
enabled  to  discern.  Could  these  great  souls, 
guided  by  the  Spirit  within,  so  gladly  renounce 
all. interest  in  their  own  personality,  if  the  Spirit 
had  not  in  store  for  them  a  greater  life  beyond  ? 
There  certainly  is  no  stronger  proof  possible,  that 
the  individuality  of  the  soul  is  immortal,  than  that 
which  is  thus  given  us  by  these  higher  beings  in 
their  willingness  to  sacrifice  their  own  Earth-life 
in  the  interest  of  human  evolution.  In  the  glad- 
ness of  self-sacrifice  by  which  their  knowledge  is 
accompanied,  we  truly  sense  the  boundlessness  of 
the  life  which  emanates  from  the  Spirit's  almighty 
and  undying  power,  —  the  power  of  Love, 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

CONDITIONS    GOVERNING     REAPPEARANCE  ;     EVOLU- 
TION   BEYOND    THE    HUMAN    PLANE. 

We  may,  then,  in  all  safety,  feel  assured  that 
every  creature  represents  a  soul  as  immortal  as 
the  Universe  of  which  it  is  a  part,  and  that  each 
soul  preserves,  not  only  its  character  as  a  well- 
defined  individuality,  but  also  its  power  of  active 
demonstration  in  the  Universal  life.  Each  is  des- 
tined to  make  its  reappearance  from  life  to  life  in 
such  a  body  and  in  such  environment  as  corre- 
spond with  the  nature  of  its  desires.  So  long 
as  these  pertain  to  that  which  is  attainable  in 
Earth-life,  the  law  of  affinity  will  draw  the  soul 
into  an  earthly  body ;  for,  where  could  there  pos- 
sibly be  a  sphere  so  suitable  for  seeking  the  grati- 
fication of  earthly  desires  as  the  one  to  which  the 
soul  has  already  become  accustomed,  namely,  the 
Earth  itself  ? 

The  recollections  of  experiences  are,  of  course, 
not  to  be  carried  along  from  one  life  into  an- 
other; for  each  life  means  a  new  brain,  and  each 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


IS5 


brain  can  record  the  experiences  of  that  person- 
ality only  to  which  it  belongs.  There  is  no  neces- 
sity for  a  recollection  of  that  which  happened  to 
the  soul  in  a  former  life :  As  we  have  seen,  the 
sole  object  of  the  Spirit  is  to  evolve  the  power  of 
feeling,  and  everything  that  happens  to  the  per- 
sonality comes  to  fulfill  this  one  purpose  only. 
Each  event  makes  its  characteristic  impression 
upon  the  soul  in  the  form  of  either  pain  or  pleas- 
ure. Guided  by  these  feelings,  the  soul  then 
evolves  its  various  likes  and  dislikes,  in  other 
words,  its  character ;  and  thus  the  events  of  each 
life  are  carried  into  the  next,  not  as  cold,  dry 
recollection  of  facts,  but  as  power  of  feeling,  tntu- 
ition.  Wq  may  find  this  clearly  illustrated  in  the 
manner'in  which  the  soul  forms  and  maintains  its 
physical  body.  The  knowledge  pertaining  to  the 
physical  constitution  is,  originally,  purely  intui- 
tional ;  it  is  so  firmly  imbedded  within  us,  that,  in 
order  to  become  conscious  of  the  same,  we  are 
compelled  to  call  to  aid  our  powers  of  intellectual 
perception.  Meantime  the  soul,  which  has  been 
enabled  by  its  instinctive  knowledge  to  form  its 
body,  continues  by  the  same  power,  unconsciously 
to  ourselves,  to  keep  it  intact.  When  the  body 
has  for  a  while  been  out  of  order  and  then,  seem- 
ingly without   assistance,  regains  its   health,  we 


IS6         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

say,  "  Nature  has  cured  herself,"  and,  indeed,  the 
cure  is  the  result  of  the  instinctive  work  of  the 
soul  which  governs  that  body. 

When  eventually  the  latter,  either  suddenly  or 
slowly,  becomes  unfit  for  habitation  by  the  soul, 
in  other  words,  when  the  body  dies,  the  pain 
attending  this  process  is  simply  the  remonstrance 
of  the  faculties  against  the  impending  loss  of 
their  wonted  medium.  Knowing,  however,  that 
the  powers  gained  by  the  soul  in  one  body  are  to 
find  their  due  opportunity  for  demonstration  in 
the  next,  we  understand  the  spiritual  reason  why 
the  end-part  of  life  is  generally  painful.  It  must 
be  so  in  obedience  to  the  law  of  contrast ;  the 
beginning  of  the  young  life  proves  this.  See  the 
years  of  happin^ess  that  come  to  the  little  child  as 
the  soul  gradually  makes  itself  at  home  in  its 
new  body.  More  and  more  each  day  the  various 
organs  are  encouraged,  developed,  and  placed  in 
service  to  gratify  the  world  of  desires  that  mani- 
fests itself  within.  Each  new  attainment  means 
a  new  delight.  Could  all  this  happiness  be  possi- 
ble if  the  soul  had  not  first  received  into  itself 
the  reflection  of  the  opposite  ? 

But  now,  however,  there  forces  itself  upon  our 
notfce  the  fact  that  each  birth,  in  turn,  means 
another  death.     Further,  we   are  reminded   that 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


IS7 


there  is,  indeed,  no  earthly  gratification  possible 
which  does  not  ultimately  cause  as  much  pain  as 
it  brought  pleasure.  We  find  that  upon  every 
earthly  good  there  is  set  a  certain  price,  and  that 
this  price  must  be  paid,  sooner  or  later,  by  the 
very  individual  who  enjoyed  the  respective  benefit. 
In  the  long  succession  of  lives  through  which  the 
soul  must  pass  while  gathering  its  knowledge,  there 
is  surely  an  abundance  of  opportunity  for  the  pay- 
ment of  its  debts  to  all  its  creditors  ;  and  the  Uni- 
versal Spirit,  which  can  preserve  the  world  intact 
through  the  exercise  of  perfect  Justice  only,  in  the 
smallest  as  well  as  the  greatest  matters,  makes  no 
discriminations.  Thus  it  will  happen  again  and 
again  that  the  body  loses  its  strength,  its  beauty, 
and  its  health ;  that  position  and  wealth  suddenly 
give  place  to  disgrace  and  poverty ;  that  the  soul 
is  bereft  of  its  objects  of  affection,  —  and  all  this 
may  come  upon  us  apparently  without  the  slightest 
trace  of  justification.  And  we  ask,  "Wherefore 
all  these  lives,  if  they  are  to  bring  us  ever  the 
same  kind  of  alternation  between  the  pleasure  and 
the  pain  ?  must  there  not,  in  the  course  of  Eter- 
nity, come  a  time  when  the  human  soul  grows 
weary  of  its  constant  repetition,  —  a  time  when  it 
ceases  to  take  the  interest  in  life  required  for  re- 
appearance ? "     The  Spirit  surely  has  a  just  reason 


15^         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


for  every  one  of  its  institutions,  and  wisely  pro- 
vides  for  every  need  arising  in  its  World. 

While   studying    the    life   of    the   animal,    we 
observed  that  even  the  higher  faculties  are  sub- 
ject as  much  to  misery  as  to  happiness.     We  see 
that  their  fate  is  determined,  not  alone  by  them- 
selves, but  also  by  the  nature  of  the  objects  upon 
which   they  are    exercised.      The    same   rule,   of 
course,  applies  also  to  the  faculties  of  man.     The 
worldly  favors,  fellow-beings,  —  all  things  that  are 
perceptible  to  a  personality,  are  of  the  like  earthly 
nature,  perishable ;  and  whatever  higher  feelings 
are  bestowed   upon  these,  are  liable  to  come  to 
grief  the  same  as  the  lower  impulses.     The  pleas- 
ure of  the  higher  faculties  is  higher,  more  refined ; 
but  likewise  is  their  misery  deeper,  more  acute. 
These  manifold  discouragements  often  come  to  us 
apparently  undeserved.      We  remember  that  the 
various  fates  are  never  quite  in  accord  with  the 
character  of  the  respective  individuals.     One  rea- 
son for  this  shifted  condition  between  us  and  the 
fates  that  would  be  consistent  with  our  present  life 
has  already  been  found :  we  saw  that  this  appar- 
ently unequal  distribution  of  good  and  bad  is  in 
each  case  but  a  temporary  compromise  necessi- 
tated   by  the  condition  of   the  respective  souls. 
Now,  this  constantly  unequal  distribution  surely  has 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


159 


another  purpose  ;  we  may  look  upon  it  as  indicat- 
ing a  well-defined  intention  of  the  Spirit  with 
regard  to  our  further  destiny. 

When  we  consider  that  all  our  efforts  to  alter 
this  changeful  condition  are  in  vain ;  that  we  are 
constantly  subjected  to  all  manner  of  disappoint- 
ment and  discouragement ;  when,  further,  we  see 
that  often  it  is  the  best  character  which  meets  with 
the  greatest  adversity,  and  that  the  most  advanced 
souls  are  altogether  indifferent  concerning  the 
goods  of  earth,  we  become  convinced  that  earthly 
gratification  can  not  be  our  final  destiny.  We 
have  seen  that  the  character  which  the  Spirit 
expresses  in  its  World,  is  forever  that  of  progres- 
siveness.  A  stand-still  is  impossible;  and  thus, 
when  a  soul  has  proven  that  it  has  outgrown  the 
life  in  human  form  and  has  thus  become  worthy  of 
rising  into  a  higher  sphere,  we  may  feel  assured 
that  its  desire  will  be  gratified  :  there  is  a  form  of 
life  above  the  human. 

The  advanced  souls  prove  to  us  by  their  lives 
that  this  higher  existence  can  be  attained  by  us  in 
no  other  way  than  through  the  evolution  of  our 
desires.  We  cannot  rise  into  a  higher  sphere  until 
these  have  severed  their  connection  with  the  lower. 
Both  our  personal  experiences  and  our  observations 
of  the  lives  of  others  show  us,  that,  without  the 


l6o         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


'!■ 


aid  of  a  certain  pressure  from  without,  the  evolu- 
tion of  our  desire,  or  character,  would  be  an  utter 
impossibility.  The  evolution  of  Life  from  plane 
to  plane  being  the  Spirit's  sole  object  in  all  its 
manifestations,  and  the  aspirations  of  the  human 
soul  not  being  quite  powerful  enough  to  lift  this 
latter  out  of  its  present  sphere  of  gratifications 
without  a  pressure  from  without,  it  is  plain  that 
this  needed  aid  must  be  provided.  It  is  clear  also 
that  the  same  can  not  come  to  us  otherwise  than 
in  the  form  of  discouragement  with  respect  to 
these  very  gratifications ;  and  thus  we  have  hap- 
pily arrived  at  this  comforting  truth,  namely,  that 
all  the  discouragements  which  come  to  us  human- 
beings  are  to  be  looked  upon  by  us  solely  in  this 
light :  they  come  to  wean  us  from  that  which  is 
earthly,  so  that  we  may  become  free  to  turn  our 
attention  to  that  which  is  in  store  for  us  beyond ; 
they  help  us  discard  the  gratifications  of  the  lower 
kind,  so  that  we  may  prepare  ourselves  for  the 
higher. 

It  is  obvious  that  this  higher  form  of  existence 
is  not  for  a  community  confined  to  human  bodies ; 
for,  desires  that  have  been  elevated  above  the 
human  plane  require  for  their  gratification  a 
medium  different  from  the  human  body.  We  see 
that  the  physical  form  of  man  ever  remains  sub- 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


i6i 


ject  to  accidents,  disease  and  death ;  it  represents 
a  soul  which  is  still  bound  by  its  desires  to  the 
world  of  earthly  personalities,  and  which  still 
requires,  for  the  evolution  of  its  desires  into  a 
higher  form,  a  continuous  contact  on  a  common 
basis  with  a  variety  of  other  characters  of  the 
human  calibre. 

We  see  that  the  plane  of  human  existence,  the 
earth-plane,  regarded  as  an  institution,  remains 
stationary,  —  a  class  in  the  great  school  of  Life, 
the  world  of  souls  each  at  its  appointed  time 
moving  in,  graduating,  and  rising  out  into  the  one 
above. 


u 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


It 


CONCERNING   THE    HIGHER    FORM    OF    LIFE    AND 
THE    WAY    IN    WHICH    IT    IS    ATTAINED. 

Let  us  now  see  how  far  we  may  comprehend 
the  conditions  and  nature  in  general  of  that  higher 
life  which  is  in  store  for  us.  Where  are  we  to 
look  for  that  higher  sphere  ?  It  cannot  be  located 
on  another  planet,  for  each  one  of  these  receives 
its  own  share  of  life-vibrations,  and  must  confine 
itself  to  the  work  of  evolving  the  creatures  en- 
trusted to  it,  the  same  as  the  Earth  is  restricted 
to  the  evolution  of  her  own.  There  can  be  no 
place  on  any  planet  for  beings  which  the  same  has 
not  itself  evolved  from  the  very  first  stage.  The 
physical  conditions  to  be  found  on  other  spheres 
being  different  from  those  on  Earth,  the  bodies  of 
the  creatures  living  there  must  likewise  differ 
from  our  own.  This  is  the  barrier  which  prevents 
us  from  becoming  creatures  on  any  foreign  planet : 
not  only  are  we  accustomed  to  the  conditions 
of  our  own,  but,  at  the  same  time,  we  can  get 
no  opportunity  for  becoming   even   so   much  as 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


163 


acquainted  with  those  existing  elsewhere.  Any 
adaptation  to  them  is  thus  out  of  the  question. 
Therefore  other  planets  have  no  more  power  of 
attraction  over  our  soul  than  they  have  over  our 
body.  Moreover,  there  is  no  call  of  necessity  for 
such  a  transfer  of  existence :  there  is  no  reason 
for  supposing  that  the  soul  cannot  evolve  all  its 
faculties  and  its  perception  of  the  Universal  har- 
mony just  as  well  in  the  sphere  of  the  Earth  as 
in  that  of  any  of  the  other  planets. 

We  find  that  the  only  way  in  which  we  may 
learn  anything  concerning  the  plane  above  our 
present  one,  is  by  looking  into  those  that  lie 
below,  and  then  following  the  line  of  evolution 
upward  so  far  as  we  find  the  same  indicated  by 
the  lives  of  those  who  have  risen  beyond  us. 

We  have  seen  how  the  life  comes  to  the  Earth 
direct  from  the  Sun,  and  how  the  Earth  then  pro- 
ceeds to  form  the  various  unions  with  these  vibra- 
tions, bringing  forth  the  plant  and  the  animal. 
These  creatures,  we  know,  belong  exclusively  to 
the  sphere  of  Earth.  Then  we  have  seen  how 
the  union  of  the  various  animal-traits  forms  the 
soul  of  man.  As  these  faculties  come  forth  on 
our  planet,  it  is  obvious  that  the  Earth  is  also  the 
first  place  where  man's  soul  appeared.  It  is,  of 
course,  impossible  for  us  to  discern  whether  the 


'I 


l64         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


faculties  constituting  the  human  soul  have,  or 
have  not,  been  individually  and  separately  evolved 
in  actual  life  on  the  lower  planes.  It  does  not, 
however,  seem  so  very  improbable,  when  we  bear 
in  mind  that  all  soul-power  is  to  be  evolved 
through  exercise  in  a  body.  Nor  could  we  prove 
that  each  animal-soul  had  not  first  to  be  reflected 
as  a  rudimentary  idea  in  the  form  of  vegetation, 
before  it  could  become  well  enough  defined  to 
demonstrate  itself  in  the  world  of  the  more  active 
moving  creatures.  As  all  soul-power  is  immortal 
and  must  ever  be  more  or  less  active,  how  would 
the  plant  and  animal-souls  otherwise  find  their 
opportunity  for  evolution  ?  We  cannot  suppose 
that  they  are  doomed  forever  to  remain  on  their 
present  plane.  This  would  not  be  in  accord  with 
the  Spirit's  character  of  progressiveness,  nor 
would  it  be  just.  When,  for  instance,  a»  dog 
proves  by  its  individual  valor  to  be  an  important 
factor  in  our  lives,  perhaps  even  sacrificing  its 
own  body  in  order  to  save  ours,  we  could  not  in 
justice  remain  content  with  the  thought  that  the 
soul  of  this  friend  is  doomed  to  remain  forever  in 
its  limited  sphere,  while  we,  on  the  contrary,  are 
permitted  to  rise  beyond  ours.  All  forces  are 
constantly  employed  in  the  interest  of  evolution, 
and,  in  the  economy  of  the  World,  none  is  allowed 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


i6s 


to  remain  forever  idle  or  latent.     Thus  it  seems 
quite    probable   that    each    individual    soul    must 
travel  through  all  these  planes  of  existence ;  that 
the    propensities    which    move    the    plants    and 
animals  are  favored  with  the  same  destiny  as  are 
those  within  the  human.     The  soul  which  lives  in 
the   animal   certainly  is  worthy  of   uniting  with 
others  to  inhabit  a  human  body ;  for,  as  we  have 
seen,  there  is  to  be  found  clearly  represented  the 
facsimile  of   each  within   the  human   soul.     We 
know,    that,    in    reality,    the   animal-soul    is    not 
beneath  us,  but  within   us,  the  same  as  the  word 
stands  within  the  sentence.     What  should  we  be, 
for  instance,  without  the  noble  dog-soul  with  its 
qualities    of    friendship,    faithfulness,    and    rever- 
ence ?     On  the  other  hand,  has  not  many  a  person 
a  greater  share  of  destructiveness  than  even  the 
tiger  ?  and  are  not  the  traits  of  the  pig,  the  pea- 
cock, and  the  cow,  each  the  master  of  a  host  of 
human  souls  ?     At  all  events,  when  we  consider 
how  many  evidences  there  are  which   encourage 
our  conclusion,  and  that  we  can  find  none  that 
proves  the  same  to  be  wrong,  we  cannot  be  far 
misled  when  we   actually  assume   that  the   soul 
which  lives  in  our  body  has  once  inhabited  a  num- 
ber of  animal-bodies,  and  that  the  animals  of  the 
present  day  are  destined  at  some  time  in  the  dis- 


1 66         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE   WORLD. 


■;^ 


tant  future  to  unite  their  forces  for  demonstration 
on  the  human  plane. 

The  propensities  which  constitute  the  desires 
pertaining  to  the  preservation  of  self,  determine 
by  the  degree  of  their  evolution  the  sphere  of  the 
soul's  activity :  they  confine  the  plant  to  the  spot 
and  the  animal  to  its  species.  On  the  human 
plane  they  are  in  position  to  alter  their  mode  of 
activity  :  instead  of  restricting  themselves  to  the 
narrow  sphere  of  the  individual,  they  may  now 
become  the  powerful  propellers  of  the  soul  on  its 
way  outward  into  the  great  beyond  as  a  conscious, 
individual  being;  they  become  what  we  may  call 
"spiritual  energy."  The  impulse  which,  on  the 
lower  plane,  knows  only  destruction,  is  elevated 
on  the  higher  plane  into  its  very  opposite,  into 
creative  force ;  the  desire  for  acquisition  of  mate- 
rial things  evolves  into  love  for  the  attainment  of 
knowledge ;  the  power  of  reproduction,  raised  out 
of  the  lower  plane  into  the  service  of  the  higher 
faculties,  proceeds,  true  to  its  nature,  to  move  us 
and  to  help  us  to  bring  forth  "children  of  the 
Spirit,*'  ideas.  Thus,  each  finds  its  appropriate 
kind  of  service  on  all  planes  of  life ;  but,  as  we 
see,  the  sphere  of  their  activity  always  remains 
the  Earth. 

Let  us  now  follow  the  course  of  one  of  those 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


167 


souls  which  have  risen  out  above  the  human  plane. 
We  may  certainly  learn  something  of  the  nature  of 
the  higher  sphere  through  studying  the  character 
of  those  who  went  to  live  in  it.  Although  we 
may  have  never  come  into  personal  contact  with 
any  of  these  beings,  we  are  well  acquainted  with 
their  personality  through  the  history  of  mankind. 
We  know  them  by  the  greatness  of  the  light  which 
their  last  Earth-life  continues  to  radiate  into  the 
lives  of  the  multitude  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion ;  and  so  these  men  stand  before  our  mind's 
eye  as  plainly  visible  as  though  we  had  personally 
communicated  with  them  from  the  days  of  our 
childhood.  To  be.sure,  they  are  our  real  personal 
friends,  and  as  such  they  enable  us  step  by  step  to 
come  into  a  clearer  understanding,  both  of  their 
personality  and  their  world. 

To  begin,  we  will  observe  how  one  of  these 
souls  expresses  itself  in  the  features  of  its  body : 
as  we  proceed  to  study  the  face  of  the  man,  the 
first  which  preeminently  forces  itself  upon  our 
notice,  is  the  apparent  absence  of  all  traces  of  the 
animal-soul.  Neither  here,  nor  in  the  form  of  his 
head,  is  there  to  be  found  a  single  line  that  might 
suggest  an  animal-trait ;  nor  is  there  any  such  to 
be  detected  in  his  general  bearing.  We  see  at 
once  that  this  is  not  the  body  of   the  ordinary 


1 


1 68    A  SPIRITUAL  TOUR  OF  THE  WORLD. 


A  SPIRITUAL  TOUR  OF  THE  WORLD. 


169 


animal-man  ;  we  find  it  to  be  the  exclusive  medium 
of  the  higher  thought,  the  spiritual.     The  expres- 
sion of  this  man  shows  us  that  in  the  course  of  his 
evolution  the  powers  of  every  one  of  the  animal- 
propensities  has  become  completely  absorbed  by 
the  higher  faculties.     Is  the  expression  a  happy 
one  ?     It  is  serene  ;  it  calls  forth  the  inference  that 
the  soul  within  does  not  derive  its  pleasures  from 
the  limited  sphere  of  the  perishable,  the  personal, 
but  has  expanded  beyond  the  same.     There  is  not 
a  mark  of  hardness  to  be  found  in  any  of  the  feat- 
ures ;  they  are  tender,  yet  strong  throughout ;  they 
show  that,  personally,  he  feels  himself  in  harmony, 
both  with  his  fate  and  his  Creator.     In  short,  he 
appears  what  he  is  :  all  love  for  that  which  brings 
true  well-being,  and    compassion  for  all  who  are 
not  yet  in  possession  of  it.     No  other  feeling  can 
find  any  room  within  him  beside  these  two ;   he 
can  hate  nothing  that  the  Universe  might  contain. 
However,  he  is  not  yet  exempt  from  human  suf- 
fering ;  for,  so  long  as  his  soul  is  bound  to  a  human 
body,  it  must  feel  the  influences  to  which  this 
body  is  subjected.     But  we  see  that  he  has  the 
power  to  patiently  endure  anything  that  may  befall 
him.     All  these  happy  qualities  are  the  fruits  of 
long  and  persistent  personal  effort.     This  superior 
strength  and  harmony  of  feeling  has  come  forth 


as  a  result  of  the  course  of  training  which  is  des- 
tined to  be  experienced  by  every  soul.  He  has 
made  himself  acquainted  with  the  nature  of  all  the 
faculties  through  personal  activity,  and  has  felt 
their  effect  upon  himself  and  others  in  every 
sphere  of  life  through  which  he  has  passed.  Dur- 
ing his  career  through  the  various  lives  he  has  had 
abundant  opportunity  of  perceiving  that  gratifica- 
tions at  the  expense  of  fellow-beings  invariably 
turned  out  in  the  end  to  be  altogether  at  his  own ; 
for  he  has  eventually  been  forced  to  pay  every  such 
debt  that  he  had  contracted.  Then  he  has  grad- 
ually become  aware  that  there  is,  in  fact,  no  earthly 
pleasure  unaccompanied  by  its  equivalent  of  pain. 
Each  such  experience  has  made  its  impression 
within  his  soul  and  has  remained  there  in  the 
form  of  intuitional  knowledge,  prompting  him  in 
each  successive  life  to  reduce  his  wants.  Having 
become  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  nature  of 
personal  enjoyment,  the  soul  has  begun  a  search 
for  sensations  of  a  higher  kind :  He  has  reached 
out  more  and  more  into  the  realms  of  spiritual 
knowledge.  He  finds  this  more  gratifying  as  he 
begins  to  perceive  its  power  of  showing  the  way 
to  personal  independence. 

While  he  was  living  on  the  material  plane,  he 
found  that  the  same  gratification  may  be  enjoyed 


li 


I/O         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

in   either  of  two  ways  :  by  taking,  or  by  giving. 
He  has,   already  at   that   period,  felt    how  these 
differ  in  the  feeling  which  they  produce.     He  has 
practised  them  both,  and  now,  as  he  rises  into  the 
higher  knowledge,  he  also  clearly  perceives  why 
the   one  is  preferable    to  the  other.     While    he 
gratified  himself  merely,  he  was  feeding  the  lower, 
the  selfish  propensities;  there  was  then  percep- 
tible no  voice  of  approval  other  than  that  of  the 
lower  self,  the  personality.     In  being  thus  nur- 
tured, these  desires  were  encouraged  to  increase ; 
each   succeeding   time   they  clamored   for   more, 
thus  causing  a  growing   painful    discord  within. 
Gratifying  them  meant  the  creation  of  a  like  dis- 
cordant condition   between  himself  and  the  sur- 
roundings.    So   he   found   himself    subjected   to 
painful  assaults,  both  from  within   and  without. 
In  the  adoption  of  the  reverse  course  he  naturally 
experienced    an   effect  directly  the   opposite:  he 
found,  that,  each  time  he  gratified  the  desires  of 
others  voluntarily  and   at   his   own   expense,  he 
gave  rise  to  a  certain   harmonious  condition,  not 
only  between   himself   and   others,   but   likewise 
within  his  inner  self.     He  had  succeeded  in  silenc- 
ing the  lower  self  by  means  of  the  higher.     The 
voice  of  approval  which  he  then  perceived,  was 
that  of  the   Universal   Spirit  itself ;  for  he   had 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF   THE    WORLD.  I /I 

harmonized  his  will  with  that  of  the  Spirit,  whose 
occupation  consists  in  nothing  else  but  the  bring- 
ing forth  of  harmony.  The  more  he  then  fol- 
lowed this  mode  of  action,  the  more  his  higher 
faculties  unfolded,  at  the  expense  of  the  lower, 
until  they  finally  became  powerful  enough  to  press 
these  into  their  service  altogether.  The  same 
faculties  which  he  has  thus  encouraged  to  grow, 
are  now  the  mediums  through  which  he  gathers 
the  higher  knowledge  and  brings  himself  into 
conscious  communication  with  the  Creator. 

Now,  however,  he  makes  the  same  discovery 
with  regard  to  his  gratifications  in  the  sphere  of 
knowledge  which  he  made  in  respect  to  those  on 
the  material  plane  :  he  finds  that  gathering  knowl- 
edge is,  like  any  other  kind  of  enjoyment,  pleas- 
urable for  the  time  being  only.  He  still  has  to 
keep  in  subjection  a  personality,  and  this,  being 
now  employed  in  the  acquisition  of  that  which  is 
obtainable  in  the  higher  sphere,  accordingly  accus- 
toms itself  also  to  the  higher  kind  of  gratifica- 
tion :  it  wants  more  and  more  ;  and  thus  he  would 
be  in  danger  of  once  more  finding  himself  alone 
and  in  the  misery  of  the  world  of  the  self,  if  the 
higher,  the  moral,  faculties  did  not  still  continue 
to  prevail  and  accordingly  impress  upon  him  the 
command  that  the  knowledge  which  they  gather 


1/2         A    SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF   THE    WORLD. 

from  the  Universe  is  to  be  used  in  the  interest  of 
none  other  than   the   Universal  Spirit ;  in  short, 
he  feels  that  the  true  pleasure  of  knowledge  does 
not  lie  in  the  personal  possession,  but  comes  with 
the  act  of  imparting  the  same  to  others.     Thus, 
from  being  a  benefactor  to  his  fellow-men  on  the 
material  plane,   he  now  gradually  rises  into   the 
power  to  benefit  them  spiritually.     Having  him- 
self once  been  in  the  condition  in  which  they  are 
now,  and  remembering  the  path  which  led  him 
out  into  a  state  of  greater  freedom  and  serenity, 
he  proceeds  to  help  them  forward  in  the  same 
manner  as  his  guides  have  so  far  been  aiding  him. 
Now,  we  are  aware  that  the  imparting  of  knowl- 
edge has,  in  one  respect,  an  effect  just  the  reverse 
from  that  accompanying  the  bestowal  of  material 
favors :  the  individual  grows  richer  in  that  which 
he  gives.     While  he  teaches  his  fellow-men,  he 
becomes  more  firmly  established  in  the  world  of 
knowledge  himself;  for  his  occupation  leads  him 
into  a  better  understanding  of  mankind  generally, 
and  therewith  also  of  his  own  being :  His  intui- 
tive   knowledge,   through    frequent    employment 
growing  brighter,  now  shows  him  the  true  nature 
of  their  state  by  reminding  him   of  that  of  his 
own  personality  in  former  lives.     He  now  becomes 
convinced  of  the  truth  that  even   the  worst   of 


A   SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD. 


173 


characters  cannot  be  bad  through  any  other  pref- 
erence than  such  as  arises  from  an  extreme  igno- 
rance of  their  true  position  in  the  World.  Thus 
he  has  risen  beyond  all  tendencies  of  hating  a 
fellow-creature.  As  he  continues  his  occupation 
in  the  interest  of  the  Universal  Spirit,  it  is  natu- 
ral that  he  should  also  grow  more  and  more  into 
the  latter's  confidence ;  he  acquires  a  more  com- 
prehensive understanding  of  the  general  plan  of 
the  Universe,  because  he  has  proven  himself 
worthy  of  taking  a  more  important  part  in  its 
affairs.  Thus  he  is  led,  not  alone  to  perceive,  but 
also  to  feel,  the  great  truth  that  all  creatures  are 
forever  bound  in  one  universal  brotherhood  under 
the  care  of  one  Father,  and  that  the  ultimate  des- 
tiny of  all  is  a  happy  one ;  his  faith  in  the  Cre- 
ator, the  self,  and  the  fellow-men  becomes  firmly 
established.  Understanding  the  condition  of 
those  who  are  still  in  the  dark,  his  soul  now  goes 
out  to  them  in  brotherly  sympathy ;  he  does  not, 
however,  love  them  as  they  are,  any  more  than  he 
would  love  his  own  former  self ;  he  loves  them  as, 
according  to  his  knowledge,  they  are  intended  to 
become;  and  this  is  the  feeling  which  prompts 
his  greater  efforts  in  their  behalf.  He  sees  how 
they  are  destined  to  wind  themselves  through  the 
world  of  errors  and  suffering  that  still  lies  before 


174         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 

them  ;  he  remembers  the  many  pains  which  he 
himself  endured,  and  now  he  endeavors  to  shorten 
the  way  for  his  fellow-men  by  giving  them  the 
benefit  of  his  own  experience,  describing  to  them 
what  he  sees  from  his  higher  point  of  view,  and 
inspiring  them  with  good-cheer  and  courage. 
And  he  perceives  that  his  efforts  are  not  in  vain. 
Wherever  the  good  effect  does  not  immediately 
come  forth,  he  knows  that  the  spiritual  seed  which 
he  is  sowing  is  not  therefore  to  be  considered 
lost ;  he  understands  the  law  by  which  a  plant 
requires  for  its  appearance  a  certain  time.  He 
knows  also  that,  in  the  realms  of  the  Spirit, 
all  that  which  does  not  fall  upon  good  ground 
must  ever  return  to  the  sower ;  for  he  feels,  that, 
whether  his  efforts  are  successful  or  not,  they 
must  invariably  cause  growth  of  power  within 
himself.  Thus  his  soul  widens  out  more  and 
more  beyond  the  interests  of  his  personality, 
making  for  itself  a  home  in  many  hearts. 

By  virtue  of  this  higher  activity  his  power  of 
thought  and  feeling  is  raised  so  far  above  the 
self,  that,  where  formerly  he  was  independent  of 
material  pleasure  only,  he  now,  from  the  very  self- 
lessness of  his  nature,  becomes  indifferent  also  to 
personal  pain.  The  subject  upon  which  he  has 
concentrated   his  whole   attention,  demands   the 


A    SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD.  1/5 

sacrifice  of  all  kinds  of  personal  feeling  and  bod- 
ily well-being ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  it  gives  him 
also  the  power  and  the  gladness  of  submission  ;  for 
it  is  a  higher  form  of  life,  an  existence  free  of 
earthly  discord,  which  he  now  sees  lying  before 
himself  and  his  fellow-men. 

A  general  view  of  our  observations  with  regard 
to  the  character  and  life  of  this  man  tells  us,  in 
short,  that  he  has  guided  himself  by  the  truth  that 
neither    pain    nor    pleasure  is  contained  in  the 
object  in  which  the  soul  is  centered,  but  in  the 
soul  itself.     Having  perceived  that  pleasure  con- 
sists   in   nothing    else    than    harmony   of    soul- 
vibration,  he  has  naturally  made  the  refinement  of 
such  harmony  the  one  great  object  of  his  life  ;  his 
higher  faculties  have  made  their  growth  identical 
with   this   refinement.      From   the   coarsest,  the 
physical  harmony,  he  has  proceeded  to  evolve  the 
finer,  the  harmony  of   the  soul  itself,  which  be- 
comes manifest  in  the  form  of   noble  character. 
This  he  now  radiates  into  the  souls  of  his  fellow- 
men  as  spiritual  life-vibration :  he  gives  them  of 
his  higher  life.     The  vibrations  of  the  soul  always 
know  their  source,  and  so  does  the  soul  know  them 
wherever  they  may  go  ;  for  the  soul  is  independent 
of  Space.     Thus  the  pleasure  which  he  gives,  the 
same  does  he  also  feel ;  and  gradually  this  higher 


176         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

harmony  so  fills  his  soul  that  the  personal  inter- 
ests dwindle  away  from  his  consideration,  and  at 
length  become  mere  means  to  the  one  great  end  : 
the  evolution  of  a  harmony  which  is  universal. 
With  this  vision  before  him,  he  gladly  permits  his 
person  to  serve  as  the  necessary  object  for  sacri- 
fice. 

We  observe  that  in  this  work  in  the  interest  of 
the    Spirit  he  not  only  grows  in  the   power  to 
receive  impressions,  but  likewise  increases  his  own 
vibrative  force ;  knowledge  and  power  come  with 
desire  and  practice.     His  manner  of  life  not  only 
brings  forth  and  develops  this   mediumship,  but 
also  places  the  same  in  his  own  control.     Hav- 
ing first  evolved  his  selfless  character  and  raised 
the  same  above  all  material  interests,  the  gift  of 
prophecy  and  the  various  other  psychic  powers 
now  unfold  within  him  as  naturally,  self-evidently, 
and  beautifully  as  the  flower  comes  forth  on  the 
plant,  unaided  by  artificial   means.      His   higher 
work  has  made  the  possession  of  the  higher  powers 
a  simple  necessity,  and  so  these  are  given  him  to 
wield  in  accordance  with  the  higher  law  :  his  com- 
passion for  the  suffering  body  of  his  neighbor  has 
procured  for  his  soul  the  power  to  heal  the  same ; 
his  desire  for  the  welfare  of  other  souls  has  evolved 
within  him  the  power  of   seeing  their  path  and 


I! 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


177 


guiding  them  by  his  will.  In  using  these  greater 
powers  solely  for  the  good  of  his  fellow-creatures, 
he  not  only  remains  exempt  from  the  injuries 
which  would  result  from  a  selfish  use,  but  his 
power  over  soul  and  substance  is  bound  to  con- 
stantly increase  and  eventually  to  make  him  the 
independent  master.  Formerly,  he  was  dependent 
upon  the  Earth-plane,  now  this  becomes  subject  to 
his  will ;  and  the  achievement  of  this  greatness  of 
soul  was  made  possible  to  him  through  nothing 
else  than  through  the  evolution  of  his  desire  for 
the  preservation  of  self  into  the  desire  for  the 
preservation  of  all.  He  no  more  needs  a  human 
body.  He  needs  not  its  pleasures  and  is  not 
moved  by  its  pains.  Nor  does  the  fulfillment  of 
his  aspirations  require  him  to  maintain  a  visible 
personality ;  for  he  exerts  his  powers,  not  for  the 
sake  of  showing  his  greatness  and  gaining  approval, 
but  purely  from  love  of  the  good  work  itself. 

When,  eventually,  he  has  risen  out,  there  is,  so 
far  as  his  personality  is  concerned,  nothing  that 
might  attract  him  ever  to  return  to  the  Earth- 
plane  in  the  form  of  a  human  being.  Having 
gained  the  power  over  the  world  of  earthly  sub- 
stance, his  soul  now  forms,  by  its  own  refined 
vibrative  force,  a  body  of  such  subtility  that 
through  it  he  is  enabled  to  expand  over  all  the 


1/8 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


Earth  and  to  penetrate  into  the  souls  of  men,  there 
to  make  himself  felt,  by  virtue  of  his  elevating 
influence,  as  Divine  inspiration.  Wherever  there 
are  souls  which  have  evolved  so  far  as  to  be  sus- 
ceptible to  this  higher  influence,  there  will  he  be 
present  and  make  his  presence  felt.  He  is  not 
merely  an  active  power,  but  also  a  conscious  wit- 
ness of  his  own  influence ;  his  efforts  in  the  interest 
of  harmony  have  resulted  in  a  higher  form  of  con- 
sciousness within  himself.  He  continues,  true  to 
his  nature,  to  elevate  the  souls  which  are  still  con- 
fined in  human  form.  He  helps  those  who  are  the 
nearest  to  him  and  who  can  understand  him,  so 
that  these,  in  turn,  may  use  this  power  for  elevat- 
ing those  who  are  still  further  in  the  dark.  He 
breathes  harmony  and  he  feels  the  life  of  it.  His 
existence  is  serene  beyond  human  conception. 
We  may  form  a  vague  idea  of  its  nature  and 
superiority,  when  we  consider  the  moments  of 
highest  inspiration  that  come  to  the  soul  of  man, 
and  when  we  then  bear  in  mind  that  the  body  of 
this  great  soul  admits  of  a  quality  of  vibration, 
or  conscious  feeling,  which  is  inconceivably  finer 
and  greater  than  that  which  is  attainable  through 
any  human  brain. 

As  we  have  seen,  the  Spirit  creates  the  Uni- 
verse   with    all    its    living    creatures    solely    for 


!  t| 


A    SPIRITUAL   TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD.  1/9 

the  purpose  of  demonstrating  through  these  its 
own  being  unto  itself.  Each  creature  is  a  living 
reflector,  according  to  the  degree  of  its  evolution, 
and  each  is  destined  to  rise  forever  higher  in  the 
conscious  understanding  of  the  World.  When 
we  consider  that  the  Universe  which  our  minds 
are  to  reflect,  must  ever  appear  to  us  as  being 
infinite,  and  when  we  also  consider  how  little  of 
its  life  it  is  possible  for  us  to  know  in  our  present 
form,  and  how  happy  we  sometimes  feel  with  that 
little,  —  how  glorious  must  be  that  which  is  yet 
to  come ! 


\ 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


i 


>M 


I 


OUR  RELATION  TO  THE  WORLD  OF  THE  DISEM- 
BODIED AND  TO  ONE  ANOTHER. 

Now,  we  are  aware  that  many  beings  have  risen 
into  this  higher  sphere  and  are  constantly  perme- 
ating the  souls  of  men  with  their  elevating  influ- 
ence, helping  these  to  rise  into  their  higher  life. 
We  know  also  that  at  certain  periods  a  whole 
community  sinks  back  toward  a  state  of  spiritual 
stupor,  once  more  to  become  enslaved  by  the  animal 
propensities.  The  higher  beings  then  find  it 
necessary  to  demonstrate  their  presence  and  their 
power  to  the  physical  senses.  To  this  end  one 
of  them  again  takes  upon  himself  the  burden  of 
human  life.  He  descends  into  the*  midst  of  men 
as  a  Saviour.  As  such  he  proves  to  them  his 
power,  his  authority,  over  all  that  is  human  ;  he 
demonstrates  to  their  physical  eyes  and  ears  the 
superiority  of  the  higher  law  over  the  will  of  man, 
then  he  teaches  them  the  first  essentials  for  rising 
into  this  higher  power,  so  that  this  knowledge 
may  again  become  the  light  of  many  generations. 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE   WORLD. 


I8l 


He  appears  to  us  as  the  Son  of  the  great  Father 
in  Heaven.  This  circumstance  draws  our  atten- 
tion to  the  truth  that  the  souls  of  the  higher 
sphere  virtually  form  one  soul ;  and  we  understand 
that  it  is  the  singleness  of  their  motive  which  so 
perfectly  unites  them.  Each  finding  its  happi- 
ness solely  in  the  Universal  harmony,  there  is  no 
discordant  influence  possible  from  the  voices  of 
their  self ;  for  there  are  none  such  coming  forth. 
Thus  it  is  self-evident  that  these  souls  form  a 
perfect  harmony  also  amongst  one  another,  and  if 
one  of  them  takes  upon  itself  an  individual  exist- 
ence, it  will  be  only  as  the  representative  of  all 
in  the  accomplishment  of  their  one  great  object, 
the  evolution  of  mankind.  We  may  take  for 
granted  that  not  only  our  Earth  is  blessed  in  this 
manner,  but  that  every  heavenly  sphere  which 
evolves  living  beings,  likewise  evolves  such  great 
souls,  such  Saviours  of  life,  which  from  time  to 
time  descend  to  the  material  plane,  so  that  the 
erring  and  suffering  community  may  once  more 
be  set  aright. 

While  the  heavenly  beings  which  dwell  in  the 
sphere  of  our  Earth  have  the  power  of  life  to 
take  upon  themselves  the  burden  of  human  suf- 
ferings voluntarily,  and  are  impelled  to  descend 
to  man  by  their  desire  of  helping  him,  we  find 


!ii 


'11^' 


iii 


182  A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE   WORLD. 

that  from  the  opposite  direction  there  come  those 
which  personate  the  various  forms  of  evil ;  which 
must  suffer  the  pains  of  discord,  because  they 
have  not  yet  evolved  the  power  of  harmony ;  and 
which  have  not  the  command  over  their  own 
motions,  but  are  drawn  toward  our  plane  by  their 
personal  desire  of  gratifying  themselves.  Let  us 
look  also  into  our  relation  to  these : 

We  have  seen  that  every  force  in  the  Universe 
must   constantly    alternate   between    two    condi- 
tions, its  activity  being  either  exterior  or  interior. 
While  it  is  in  the  former  state,  we  perceive  its 
action  by  means  of  our  physical  senses;  in  the 
latter  condition  it  is  recognizable  by  those  only  of 
the  soul,  or  mind.     When  a  force  is  thus  "invis- 
ible," we  may  know  that  it  is  latent.     This,  of 
course,  applies  not  alone  to  the  unorganized  force, 
but  likewise  to  the  organized,  namely,  the  soul. 
We  have  seen  that  when  a  soul  becomes  disem- 
bodied, it  nevertheless  remains  intact  as  a  part  of 
the  Universal  power.     It  is  then  latent,  awaiting 
a  favorable  condition  for  again  coming  forth,  and, 
like  any  other  force,  it  will  either  reappear  as  an 
individual  within  a  physical  body,  or  become  more 
or  less  distinctly  visible  alone  to  the  eye  of  the 
soul,   according    to  the    degree    in   which   other 
forces  cooperate  or  counteract. 


i 


in 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


183 


We  observe  that  during  its  life  in  a  human 
body  there  is  hardly  ever  a  moment  in  which 
some  one  or  more  of  the  soul's  faculties  are  not 
latent,  being  at  the  time  hindered  from  coming 
forth  by  the  greater  activity  of  the  others.  We 
have  seen  also  that  during  times  when  animation 
is  suspended,  almost  the  entire  soul  may  disap- 
pear from  view.  Now,  when  we  see  the  soul 
become  latent  at  its  regular  intervals  of  sleep,  we 
are  thereby  shown,  that,  even  while  the  body  is 
strong  and  healthy,  a  periodic  rest  is  as  indispens- 
able to  the  constitution  of  the  soul  as  it  is  to  that 
of  the  body ;  for,  the  body,  being  formed  and 
governed  entirely  by  soul-power,  can  not  become 
inefficient,  even  temporarily,  from  any  other  cause 
than  the  counteraction  of  the  soul's  activity  by 
surrounding  forces.  When  the  soul  can  be  thus 
deprived  of  its  medium  for  the  third  or  fourth 
part  of  each  day,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
the  power  to  maintain  the  usual  health  and  vigor 
of  the  body  is  still  efficient,  how  much  longer 
must  be  the  time  of  the  soul's  latency  when  the 
body  is  finally  removed  from  its  control  alto- 
gether !  Evidently,  that  part  of  the  soul  which 
is  the  direct  supporter  of  the  body,  needs  a  far 
longer  period  of  rest  at  the  close  of  a  life-time 
than  at  the  end  of  a  day. 


i\\ 


.  \ 


lli 


' 


'* 


184         A    SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF    THE   WORLD. 

Those  evil   influences  which   come  to  radiate 
their  discord  into  the  souls  of    men,  and  which 
are  so  dangerous  because    imperceptible  to  the 
physical  senses,  are  souls  that  have  once  been  the 
possessors  of    physical   bodies,  and  are,  for  the 
time  being,  bound  in  a  state  of  latency.     They  are 
human  souls  which  have  not  yet  risen  into  power 
over   the   animal    propensities.      The   conditions 
which  surrounded  their  earth-lives  have  been  such 
that  the  moral  sense  of  these  souls  could  not  prop- 
erly unfold ;  and  in  proportion  as  the  lower  self 
and  the  intellect  have  been  encouraged,  are  these 
souls  strong  in  their  desire  for  self-assertion  in  the 
form  of  discord.     Although  such  a  soul  is  hindered 
from  forming  a  body  perceptible  to  the  physical 
senses,  it  is  nevertheless  capable  of  active  dem- 
onstration wherever   it    can   find  favorable   soul- 
conditions.     The  only  plane  on  which  it  can  grat- 
ify its  desires  is,  of  course,  the  human,  because  it 
has  itself  once  been  a  human  ;  and  from  our  sphere 
the  call  must  come :  Wherever  in  a  human  being 
the  selfish  propensities  are  strong,  there  the  evil 
soul  meets  with  conditions  which  allow  it  to  come 
forth  and  to  assert  itself ;  for  there  will  be  present 
a  soul  of  like  nature ;  and  the  same  law  of  affinity 
by  which  the  happy  influence  of  the  higher  soul 
enters  the  man  of  noble  character,  enables  also  the 


'I'm  '^ 


I 


A    SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD. 


18S 


disembodied  evil  soul  to  enter  the  body  of  the 
undeveloped,  the  selfish  man,  filling  him  with  its 
discord  and  prompting  him  to  give  expression  to 
the  same  in  his  life.  Thus  the  evil  soul  continues 
to  demonstrate  itself  through  the  medium  of  other 
bodies,  to  suffer  and  to  cause  suffering  in  this 
manner,  until  conditions  shall  allow  it  to  appear 
once  more  in  a  body  of  its  own  for  another  course 
of  training  as  an  individual  man. 

Between  these  two,  the  Divine  soul  and  the 
evil,  is  to  be  found  the  multitude  of  disembodied 
human  souls,  each  of  them  bound  in  a  state  of 
latency,  until  a  call  arises  for  its  reappearance. 
There  being,  of  course,  as  great  a  variety  of  dis- 
embodied souls  as  there  is  of  human  beings,  it  is 
plain  that  there  is  not  one  person  who  is  not  con- 
tinually subjected  to  the  influences  coming  from 
this  world  of  the  unseen.  According  to  the  nature 
and  the  power  of  his  thought  will  he  unconsciously 
attract  to  himself  the  corresponding  kind  of  souls. 
The  same  law  of  thought-transference  by  which 
the  soul-vibrations  may  travel  from  one  human- 
being  to  another,  renders  possible  also  a  communi- 
cation between  man  and  the  disembodied  soul ;  for, 
in  both  cases  there  is  the  same  kind  of  harmonious 
vibrations  which  cannot  help  but  unite  in  such  a 
manner  that  each  soul  must  receive  those  sent  out 


^11 


-  »»——••'«•* 


11 


f 


1 86        A   SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

by  the  other.     Thus  we  may  know  that  each  of  us 
is,  to  a  greater  or  smaller  degree,  mediumistic. 

Disembodied  souls  may,  under  favorable  con- 
ditions, even  make  themselves  apparent   to  our 
physical   senses.     However  wonderful   this    may 
seem  to  us,  still,  we  cannot  dispute  the  fact  that 
such  occurrences  actually  take  place,  often  when 
they  are  least  expected.     And  why  should  they 
not  ?     We  have  abundant  evidence,  that  one  per- 
son can  suddenly  appear  to  another,  notwithstand- 
ing the  space  that  separates  the  physical  bodies. 
This  is  done  by  many  souls  at  the  moment  of  their 
passing  out.     It  is  evident  that  in  such  an  event 
the  dying  body  itself  cannot  possibly  have  any 
part.     The  soul  alone  is  the  actor.     All  that  is 
required  for  the  feat  is  the  power  of  vibration,  the 
motive,  and  the  will.     That  the  soul  retains  its 
power  quite  independently  of  the  life  of  its  body, 
is  a  truth  which  we  can  certainly  no  longer  doubt. 
Although  counteracting  forces  hinder  the  soul  for 
awhile  from  appearing  to  us  as  a  person,  it  may  in 
the  meantime  still  exert  its  vibrative  force  in  other 
ways ;   for,  as  we  know,  the  whole  World  is  in 
reality  nothing  else  than  an  infinite  variety  of 
vibrations.     We  are  therefore  perfectly  justified 
in  assuming  that  many  of  those  mysterious  phys- 
ical phenomena  which  sometimes  force  themselves 


A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD.  1 8/ 

upon  our  notice  and  which  are  perfectly  inexpli- 
cable, so  far  as  our  present  knowledge  of  Nature's 
laws  can  reach,  actually  have  their  source  in  the 
realms  of  the  disembodied. 

We  observe  also  that  the  faculty  of  communi- 
cating with  the  disembodied  may  be  developed,  so 
to   speak,   artificially.     However,  when    we   look 
more  closely  into  the  nature  of  the  process  re- 
quired  and   into    the    consequences   which   may 
follow,  we  become  aware  that  this  mode  of  devel- 
opment is  as  injurious  as  it  is  wrong  ;  for  the 
Law  is  always  just.     While  observing  the  medi- 
umistic qualities  of  the  animal,  we  noticed  that 
these  have  their  source  in  the  circumstance  that 
the   animal-mind  is    not   filled  with   independent 
thought-forms  of  a  brightness  sufficient  to  obscure 
that  which   reflects  itself  upon   the   soul   direct. 
The  artificial  development  of  mediumship  in  the 
human  being  implies  the  reestablishment  of  this 
same  condition :  the  mind  is  to  be  rendered  pas- 
sive ;  it  is  to  be  freed  from  thought-forms,  so  that 
the  invisible  may  enter  and  make  their  impres- 
sions felt.     Now,  we  are  aware  that  man  has  his 
power   of    thought    for   a   well-defined   purpose: 
his  intellect  is  to  serve  him  in  the  capacity  of  a 
"look-out."     It  must  take  note  of  all  that  hap- 
pens within  and  without ;  it  must  see  far  ahead 


^raErTssr-sCT 


1 88         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE   WORLD. 

and  all  around,  study  facts  and  events,  cause  and 
effect ;  it  must  analyze  and  combine,  and  record 
the  results  for  his  immediate  use  in  the  work  of 
directing  his  course  through  life.  The  multitude 
and  greatness  of  the  dangers  that  surround  the 
human  being  necessitate  the  constant  presence  of 
the  power  of  reason,  so  that  no  enemy  may  come 
near  unperceived  and  find  the  man  unguarded. 
This  being  true  with  respect  to  his  exterior  life, 
how  much  more  must  this  truth  apply  to  the  life 
of  the  soul !  We  have  seen  that  man's  material 
existence  has  no  other  purpose  than  the  evolution 
of  his  higher  faculties.  The  intellect,  therefore, 
must  ever  remain  the  indispensable  servant  of 
these.  By  its  help  they  are  enabled  to  detect  all 
the  evil  influences  that  may  come  to  them  from 
anywhere  in  the  material  World  or  in  the  World 
of  the  invisible,  and  thus,  when  necessary,  to  pre- 
vent even  a  contact  with  them.  Every  human 
being  has  within  him  a  certain  portion  of  animal 
propensity,  and  is  therefore  in  some  degree  ex- 
posed to  these  influences.  In  order  to  rise  out  of 
the  danger  of  attracting  them,  he  is  compelled  to 
completely  eliminate  his  lower  self ;  and  this  can 
be  done  only  through  a  constant  exercise  of  his 
intellectual  and  moral  powers.  We  have  seen 
that  this  is  the  kind  of  exercise  through  which 


A    SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD.  1 89 


the  higher  souls  have  made  themselves  worthy 
of  becoming  the  representatives  of  the  higher 
thought,  and  thus  we  are  led  to  the  conclusion 
that  it  is  also  the  only  medium  through  which  we 
may  attract  the  wholesome  influences. 

The  character  of  the  ordinary  disembodied 
souls  is,  like  that  of  any  imperfect  human,  full  of 
error  caused  by  the  influence  of  the  lower  self. 
These  souls  are  therefore  the  ones  which  are 
most  strongly  attracted  to  that  person  who  has 
removed  from  his  own  lower  self  the  watchful  and 
restraining  power  of  thought.  The  conditions 
for  the  active  demonstration  of  an  imperfect  soul 
are  in  such  a  case  most  favorable.  The  propensi- 
ties of  the  person  combine  with  those  of  the  vis- 
itor and  are  thus,  in  the  absence  of  the  reasoning 
power,  in  position  to  play  great  havoc  with  all  the 
treasures  of  the  soul  that  are  within  their  reach  ; 
and  they  do  this.  Not  only  will  the  feelings  per- 
taining to  the  self  receive  encouragement  in  both 
parties,  but  neither  one  of  these  will  be  able  to 
correctly  perceive  the  other;  the  visitor  will, 
either  consciously  or  unconsciously,  delude  the 
person  who  attracted  him  ;  for  the  eye  of  the  self 
can  see  only  in  accordance  with  its  individual 
nature,  and  this,  we  know,  is  never  the  same  in 
any  two  persons,  and  never  faultless  in  any  one. 


1 


(i 


H 


190 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


The  truth  will  thus  ever  appear  distorted ;  it 
will  every  time  reflect  itself  in  the  mind  of  the 
observer  in  the  nature  of  error.  As  in  every-day 
life  the  appearance  of  persons  to  each  other 
always  conforms  itself  to  the  nature  of  the  per- 
sonal desires  prompting  each,  so  may  also  the 
disembodied  soul  which  comes  to  gratify  a  per- 
sonal want,  conceal  itself  behind  a  character  which 
it  assumes.  The  personal  preferences  may  induce 
the  medium,  unconsciously  to  itself,  not  alone  to 
mistake  the  identity  of  its  visitor,  but  likewise  to 
misunderstand  the  communication  received.  And 
in  every  case  we  do  find  this  latter  tinged  with 
the  personal  character  of  the  medium,  as  the 
reflection  of  a  picture  must  conform  itself  to  the 
nature  of  the  reflector.  We  can  easily  perceive 
that  such  imperfectly  understood  communications, 
commands,  or  informations  must  always,  even  if 
they  are  of  a  higher  character,  cause  more  or  less 
of  mischief  to  all  concerned.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  is  plain  that  every  communication  which  results 
in  any  kind  of  personal  advantage  to  either  the 
human  beings  or  the  disembodied  souls,  must,  at 
some  time  during  the  process  of  evolution,  be 
paid  for  by  whomever  such  advantage  has  been 
received  by.  For,  through  every  material  success 
the  human  soul  gets  somewhat  of  encouragement 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD.  I9I 

in  its  love  for  that  which  is  material.  Thus  each 
earthly  enjoyment  adds  its  mite  to  the  weight 
which  hinders  man  from  rising  out  of  the  human 
plane ;  and  yet,  as  we  have  seen,  at  some  future 
time  he  must  let  go.  He  who  is  rich,  powerful 
in  worldly  matters,  and  favored  with  all  kinds  of 
human  affection  in  this  life,  will  surely  in  some 
future  one  find  himself  deprived  of  all ;  for  man 
must  sometime  get  a  chance  to  look  beyond  the 
human  life,  and  he  cannot  do  this  while  his  vision 
is  obstructed  by  the  dense  mist  of  the  pleasures 
belonging  to  the  ordinary  human  sphere. 

The  evil  consequences  resulting  from  an  artifi- 
cial development  of  mediumship  are,  of  course, 
most  severe  upon  the  medium  itself.     For,  each 
time  a  person  offers  himself  in  this  manner  to  pro- 
miscuous influences  of  earth-bound  souls,  he  loses 
a  part  of  his  control  not  alone  over  his  body,  but 
also  over  his  mind.     By  repeated  voluntary  absti- 
nence from  the  use  of   his  reasoning  powers  he 
gradually  loses  his   former  facility  to  command 
them.     We  see  that  the  medium  of  the  hypnotizer 
unconsciously  becomes  subject  to  the  desires  of 
the  latter  in  such  degree  as  to  lose  its  power  of 
freeing  itself  from  them  even  in  its  normal  state. 
So  does  this  medium  of  the  disembodied  souls, 
each   time  it  places  its  powers  in  their   service, 


'% 


192  A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

encourage  the  visitors  to  monopolize  them  to  a 
greater  extent  than  they  did  the  last  time ;  and  so, 
eventually,  in  the  absence  of  the  power  of  intel- 
lectual guidance,  the  whole  person  becomes  the 
obedient  tool  of  these  earth-bound  souls,  at  any 
time  ready  to  exchange  its  own  identity  for  theirs. 
Thus  the  medium  retards  the  evolution  of  its  own 
individual  character.  It  loses  more  and  more  also 
its  power  of  discrimination  in  respect  to  the  char- 
acter of  its  visitors.  Those  of  the  lower  order,  in 
accordance  with  their  selfish  nature,  gradually 
make  themselves  the  most  prominent ;  and,  in 
consequence,  this  medium  becomes  exposed  to  all 
kinds  of  error,  great  and  small,  —  a  soul  dependent 
for  its  gratifications  upon  its  fellow-beings  in  the 
realms  of  darkness. 

All  our  observations  show  us  that  human  medi- 
umship  is  designed  to  evolve  alone  through  nobil- 
ity of  life.  Selfless  thought  attracts  the  selfless 
soul,  and  is  at  the  same  time  the  best  guard  against 
the  influences  of  the  opposite  kind.  Until  we 
have  evolved  a  character  of  great  power  and  good- 
ness, neither  are  we  capable  of  drawing  toward 
ourselves  and  consciously  communicating  with  the 
higher  soul,  nor  are  we  safe  from  the  harmful 
influence  of  the  lower.  But,  so  surely  as  the  arti- 
ficial development  brings  forth  the  hurtful  kind  of 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE   WORLD. 


193 


mediumship,  does  the  natural,  through  the  evolu- 
tion of  a  noble  character,  develop  in  us  the  bene- 
ficial kind,  which  must  appear  in  its  perfection  so 
soon  as  our  character  proves  itself  capable  of 
wielding  the  higher  powers  in  accordance  with  the 
demand  of  the  higher  law,  which  is  selflessness. 

Meantime,  though  we  may  not  be  clearly  con- 
scious of  the  fact,  our  communication  with  the 
realm  of  the  disembodied  quietly  and  mysteriously 
takes  its  course,  in  obedience  to  the  dictates  of 
the  law  of  affinity,  working  good  and  harm  on 
either  side,  according  to  the  nature  of  our  thought. 
When  we  contemplate  the  fact  that  this  mysteri- 
ous realm,  though  hidden  to  the  senses  of  the 
ordinary  mortal,  is  nevertheless  so  near  to  each  of 
us  that  our  souls  inhale  its  very  atmosphere, — 
how  awe-inspiring  is  the  nature  of  this  world  of 
the  invisible !  and,  at  the  same  time,  how  comfort- 
ing to  us  human  beings  is  the  knowledge,  that 
therein  are  present  also  the  souls  of  all  those  with 
whom  we  are  bound  by  the  ties  of  love  and  friend- 
ship !  These  friendly  souls  can,  if  we  will,  come 
even  closer  to  us  in  their  present  state  than  was 
possible  to  them  while  they  were  still  in  physical 
bodies  of  their  own.  As  our  friends  and  loved 
ones  who  are  still  in  this  life  feel  all  the  vibrations 
of  kindness  that  we  send  out  to  them,  so  do  also 


194         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

those  who  have  passed  out,  and  likewise  do  we 
receive  theirs.  In  accordance  with  the  nature  of 
this  kindness  will  our  influence  be  either  elevating 
or  depressing:  while  painful  longing  invariably 
brings  sorrow  also  to  the  objects  of  our  affection, 
our  thoughts  of  selfless  kindness  inspire  them  with 
feelings  of  good  cheer. 

Among  the  multitude  of  human  beings  and  dis- 
embodied souls  with  which  a  person  is  connected 
there  certainly  is,  in  every  instance,  one  with  whom 
his  nature  is  more  perfectly  in  harmony  than  with 
any  of  the  others :  each  of  us  has  one  particular 
friend.  Now,  we  see  that  the  strongest  kind  of 
human  affinity  requires  that  the  individuals  be  of 
opposite  sex  :  the  one  must  be  of  masculine  nature ; 
the  other,  feminine,  —  the  former  excelling  in 
power  to  impress ;  the  latter,  in  facility  for  recep- 
tion. Let  us  understand  more  perfectly  the  nature 
of  this  closest  of  relationships. 

When  we  look  into  the  principles  of  harmony 
from  which  the  Spirit  evolves  the  World,  we  find 
that  these  two  elements  are  already  present  at  the 
very  foundation  :  we  see  that  they  find  their  orig- 
inal expression  in  the  relation  between  Motion  and 
Substance.  The  masculine,  being  the  force  of 
impressing,  is  represented  by  the  power  of  Motion, 
vibration ;  the  feminine,  in  its  character  of  recep- 


A   SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF   THE   WORLD. 


195 


tivity,  is  expressed  in  the  vibrating  Substance. 
They  are  thus  originally  one,  —  neither  being  pos- 
sible of  appearance  without  the  other.  The  one  is 
the  life ;  the  other,  that  which  lives.  There  can 
be  no  surplus  of  either.  Taking  a  general  view  of 
the  world  of  Motion  and  Substance,  we  observe 
that  this  presents  the  appearance  of  a  multitude  of 
equally  proportioned  elements  in  a  state  of  con- 
stant fluctuation  from  one  side  of  their  equilibrium 
to  the  other.  As  we  follow  them  in  their  course 
of  evolution,  we  find  that  the  power  of  motion, 
as  it  assumes  its  higher  form,  namely,  that  of 
organized  life,  brings  forth  a  more  pronounced 
division  also  between  these  two  elements,  the 
power  of  impression  and  the  facility  for  reception. 
Already  on  the  vegetable  plane  we  see  these 
appearing  in  separate,  individual  forms,  as  male 
and  "female.  In  the  animal-world  this  separation 
becomes  still  more  clearly  defined ;  while,  lastly, 
on  the  human  plane  it  assumes  its  most  pro- 
nounced degree,  appearing  perfect,  not  only  phys- 
ically, but  likewise  with  respect  to  the  character 
of  the  souls  :  the  masculine  nature  becomes  clearly 
defined  in  its  preference  for  independent  thought 
and  deed ;  that  of  the  feminine,  in  its  character 
of  susceptibility,  power  of  feeling.  However,  as 
we  follow  these  souls  in  their  further  evolution, 


196 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


as  from  generation  to  generation  the  human  soci- 
ety rises  in  degree  of  culture,  we  find  that  the 
masculine  soul  gradually  increases  in  power  of 
feeling,  while  the  feminine  becomes  more  and 
more  independently  active  and  thoughtful.  This 
slow  but  sure  return  of  the  two  elements  toward 
their  original  equilibrium  is  an  essential  prelim- 
inary to  their  rising  into  the  higher  plane  of  life  : 
while  the  power  of  feeling  is  required  for  impell- 
ing the  soul  to  expand  beyond  the  self  into  the 
lives  of  the  fellow-creatures,  thought  is  the  power 
through  which  this  feeling  is  elevated  above  the 
plane  of  matter.  In  the  higher  sphere  the  single- 
ness of  their  selfless  motive  then  enables  the 
individuals  of  the  two  sexes  to  closely  unite  with 
one  another  and  thus  to  form  one  perfect  soul, 
never  again  to  part.  This  truth  is  clearly  illus- 
trated to  us  by  the  character  of  the  Saviour,  who 
comes  to  us  as  the  personification  of  the  highest 
form  of  thought  permeated  with  the  purest  love. 

We  have  seen  that  a  surplus  of  any  one  of 
these  elements  which  form  the  Universe  is  impos- 
sible. We  are  also  aware  that  the  evolution  of 
each  of  them  must  take  its  course  in  the  form  of 
a  separate  individual,  whose  identity  can  never  be 
lost.  As  these  two  elements,  then,  are  destined 
ultimately  to  return  to  their  original  union ;  as 


\ 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF   THE    WORLD.  I97 

they  have  taken  the  form  of  separate  souls ;  and 
as,  on  our  plane,  each  soul,  by  reason  of  its  differ- 
ence from  every  other  soul,  requires  for  this  per- 
fect union  an  affinity  distinguishable  from  every 
other,— we  may  conclude  that  the  masculine  and 
the  feminine  elements  in  the  world  of  man  equal 
one  another  with  respect  also  to  the  number  of 
individuals  by  which  each  is  represented.     A  sur- 
plus of  either  element,  being  an  impossibility  at 
the   very   foundation    of    the   World,    must    also 
remain  such  throughout  Eternity.     Thus  we  may 
infer  that  the  various  human  souls  do  not  exist 
singly,   but  in  pairs,  each  of  which  consists  of  a 
masculine  and  a  feminine  from  one  and  the  same 
germ.     Each  such  pair  forms  a  like  close  affinity 
as   every  one   of  the   others,  and  remains   thus 
spiritually  related   throughout   the  course  of  its 
evolution. 

But  now  the  great  question  arises  within  us, 
*'Why  is  the  individual  so  often  hindered  from 
forming  with  the  companion  of  his  soul  a  per- 
sonal acquaintance  ? "  For  this  question,  too,  we 
may  find  an  answer :  One  reason  for  such  repeated 
separation  lies  in  the  fact  that  in  this,  as  in  all 
other  matters,  the  all-pervading  law  of  contrast 
rules.  We  know  that  this  most  intimate  of  com- 
panionships implies  the  highest  form  of  happiness 


■  •■ 


198 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 


possible  to  the  human  personality.  This  feeling, 
like  all  others,  can  be  consciously  perceived  only 
after  the  soul  has  personally  experienced  the  very 
opposite.  Supposing  we  all  were,  from  now  on, 
favored  with  the  blessing  of  this  perfect  compan- 
ionship uninterruptedly  from  life  to  life,  —  how 
could  we  possibly  retain  within  ourselves  a  clear 
conception  of  the  opposite  state  ?  In  exact  pro- 
portion as  this  would  fade  from  our  recollection, 
should  we  become  oblivious  also  to  the  greatness 
of  the  happiness  contained  for  us  in  this  union 
with  our  dearest  friend. 

There  is  another  reason  why  the  Spirit  from 
time  to  time  prevents  the  personalities  of  the 
counterparts  from  meeting :  it  is  in  the  interest 
of  their  evolution  into  the  higher  life.  We  have 
seen  that  the  evolution  of  the  soul  implies  the 
evolution  of  its  desire ;  its  love  must  expand 
beyond  the  sphere  of  the  personality.  Now,  the 
love  for  our  natural  companion  and  for  all  that 
which  comes  forth  from  our  personal  relationship 
with  the  same,  belongs  altogether  to  our  personal 
sphere ;  it  is  natural  to  our  personality,  and  there- 
fore the  exercise  of  this  kind  of  affection  deserves 
no  special  credit ;  it  is  of  the  nature  of  a  recrea- 
tion,—  a  strictly  personal  enjoyment.  We  have 
seen,  however,  that  the   higher   life   demands  a 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


199 


higher  kind  of  love,  —  Divine  love,  a  love  that 
has  for  its  object  the  good,  not  of  our  own  self, 
but  of  our  fellow-creatures.  While  we  are  tied 
with  the  bonds  of  personal  love,  it  is  not  in  our 
power  to  rise  out  and  look  upon  all  fellow-men 
with  equal  eye;  nor  could  we  then  demon- 
strate such  impartiality  of  feeling  by  our  conduct. 
And  yet,  this  is  the  very  power  required  of  the 
greater  soul.  Therefore,  so  that  we  may  get  the 
necessary  chance  for  the  selfless  exercise  of  our 
affections,  we  are  for  certain  periods  removed 
from  the  possibility  of  bestowing  them  upon  our 
friend.  We  are  led  to  practise  self-denial  with 
respect  to  human  love ;  and  we  know  that  our 
power  of  feeling  is  not  thereby  killed,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  strengthened  and  elevated ;  because  it 
is  caused  to  expand  into  the  great  beyond,  bring- 
ing us  ever  nearer  to  the  lives  of  our  fellow-beings 
and  at  the  same  time  also  to  those  great  souls 
who  have  gone  before  us.  Thus  the  Spirit 
causes  during  one  life-time  a  separation,  so  that 
the  souls  may  be  impelled  to  work ;  in  another,  it 
brings  them  once  more  together,  that  they  may 
enjoy  the  recreation  which  their  constitutions  call 
for.  Each  time  they  meet,  their  union  is  of  a 
higher  nature,  until  the  time  arrives  when  their 
affections  no  more  need  for  their  demonstration  a 


200        A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 

human  body ;  for  then  the  souls  will  have  formed 
their  final  union  for  life  in  the  great  and  beautiful 
world  beyond  the  self. 

When  we  consider  how  the  two,  though  origi- 
nating from  the  same  germ,  must  leave  each  other 
and  then  pursue  their  course  of  unfoldment, 
each  in  a  separate  body  and  in  a  separate  sphere 
of  action,  meeting  and  parting  in  alternation; 
when  we  perceive  that  they  are  notwithstanding 
destined  eventually  to  form  their  final  union  as 
two  souls  equally  worthy  of  each  other's  great- 
ness,—  we  understand  why  they  must  remain  in 
constant  intimate  communication  even  when  their 
personalities  are  strangers  to  each  other :  the  pro- 
gress of  the  masculine  and  the  feminine  must  be 
the  same  in  both.  Thus  each  unconsciously 
reflects  its  life  upon  the  soul  of  the  other,  and 
in  return  receives  a  similar  impression  from  its 
counterpart.  By  this  means  their  development  is 
equalized.  And  do  we  not  often  experience  such 
peculiar  sensations  which  have  not  their  source  in 
our  sphere  ?  Do  not,  at  certain  times,  when  we 
are  apparently  alone,  strange  feelings  creep  into 
us  that  raise  us  into  an  unaccountable  state  of  hap- 
piness ;  and,  again,  do  we  not  as  often  feel  against 
our  will  depressed  ?  Searching  for  the  cause,  we 
find  it  not.     Such  feelings  may  then  be  but  the 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 


201 


reflections  cast  upon  us  out  of  the  life-experiences 
which  our  friend,  who  may  be  thousands  of  miles 
away,  is  at  that  very  moment  undergoing.  Our 
intuition  then  prompts  us  to  give  the  like  con- 
sideration to  these  feelings  that  we  bestow  upon 
those  arising  from  our  own  experiences :  the 
elevating  kind  ;ve  turn  into  the  corresponding 
actions ;  the  opposite,  we  make  use  of  as  objects 
upon  which  to  exercise  our  higher  power, — we 
rise  out  of  them  into  our  wonted  state  of  har- 
mony. Knowing  that  also  our  own  conditions 
reflect  themselves  upon  another  soul,  we  find 
double  cause  for  carefully  considering  their 
nature.  With  each  effort  that  we  make,  in 
thought  and  deed,  in  the  unfoldment  of  our  moral 
powers,  we  unconsciously  exert  an  elevating 
•influence  upon  the  partner  of  our  destiny. 

Indeed,  the  more  we  learn  of  the  nature  of  our 
lives,  the  more  clearly  do  we  perceive  how  impos- 
sible it  would  be  for  any  one  of  us  to  work  out  his 
salvation  independently  of  his  fellow-beings.  All 
our  observations  of  the  Universal  life  convince  us 
that  the  entire  World  is  but  a  multitude  of  close 
relationships.  As  not  an  atom  can  ever  be  re- 
moved from  its  intimate  connection  with  its  fel- 
lows, so  no^  a  soul  can  ever  be  alone.  Go  where 
we  will,  and  do  what  we  choose,  —  we  cannot  cease 


202         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

to  give  and  to  receive  the  influences  corresponding 
to  our  nature.  Though  our  personality  at  certain 
times  seem  ever  so  deserted :  as  intimately  as  its 
fate  is  interwoven  with  those  of  all  its  fellow- 
creatures,  so  inseparable  is  also  our  soul  from  its 
connection  with  the  world  of  souls ;  or  the  Uni- 
verse would  not  continue.  The  all-powerful,  all- 
wise,  and  ever-present  Father,  who  forever  main- 
tains intact  the  close  relationship  between  the 
various  elements  which  constitute  the  world  of 
matter,  will,  in  His  goodness,  likewise  continue  to 
provide  for  this  intimate  companionship  among  the 
souls  which  have  received  from  Him  their  power 
to  command  this  World  and  to  employ  the  same 
according  to  His  Law  as  the  medium  for  their 
joint  unfoldment.  And  beautiful  indeed  will  be 
their  evolution  into  that  higher  life,  in  which  they 
all  are  destined  to  enjoy  the  like  condition  of 
serene  content ! 

CLOSING    REMARKS. 

We  have,  then,  at  last  come  to  the  end  of  our 
journey.  It  is  not  possible  for  us  to  go  still  fur- 
ther,—  nor  is  it  necessary;  for  the  object  of  our 
wish  has  been  accomplished.  When  we  look  back 
along  the  line  of  our  path,  and  then  into  the  view 


A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF   THE    WORLD.         203 


that  opens  out  before  our  eyes  from  the   point 
which  we   have  reached,  we   perceive  that  kind 
Providence  has  led  us  through  this  world  of  mys- 
teries directly  into  those  conceptions  of  the  uni- 
versal life  which  were  the  objects  of  our  search, 
and  which  we  find  to  be  so  needful  to  the  human 
soul  as  friendly  guides  through  light  and  darkness. 
From  having  first  been  made  acquainted  with  the 
ideal  nature  of  the  World,  we  have  been  led  to 
sense  the  nature  of  its  Spirit ;  we  have  perceived 
the  almighty  power  of  harmony  which  insures  the 
immortality  and   the   progressiveness  of   all    the 
souls  of  which  the  Universal  life  consists.     Fol- 
lowing  their   line    of    evolution,    we    have    then 
become  aware  of  their  relationship  ;  we  have  seen 
how  on  each  successive  higher  plane  the  harmony 
within  them  and  among  them  grows  more  compli- 
cated and  more  perfect,  thus  showing  us  how  all 
the  souls  are  forever  bound  in  one  close  brother- 
hood in  the  care  of  one  benevolent  and  ever-pres- 
sent    Father.     We    have    observed    how   Justice 
governs  our  fates  and  keeps  them  closely  inter- 
woven, so  that  eventually  they  all  may  bring  the 
like  degree  of  happiness  to  the  respective  souls  as 
these  approach  their  final  union  in  the  higher  life. 
Providence  has  led  us  to  a  point  of  view  from 
where  we  may  no  longer  look  upon  the  sufferings 


204         A   SPIRITUAL    TOUR   OF    THE    WORLD. 

with  which  we  are  afflicted,  as  being  utter  dis- 
cords ;  we  know  them  to  be  merely  dissonances 
required  by  the  law  of  harmony  for  the  right 
appreciation  of  the  times  of  happiness  which  are 
to  follow.  Our  human  pleasures  now  appear  to 
us  as  being  but  a  compromise,  allowing  our  unde- 
veloped soul  a  temporary  rest,  an  opportunity  for 
gathering-up  its  forces ;  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
we  look  upon  the  hardships  as  coming  to  remind 
us  of  the  effort  necessary  for  our  rising  out  into 
the  pleasures  of  the  higher  sphere :  we  see  in  them 
the  objects  which  the  soul  requires  for  the  evolu- 
tion of  the  powers  by  means  of  which  its  noble 
destiny  may  be  fulfilled. 

Indeed,  we  have  obtained  all  those  conceptions 
in  which  the  human  heart  finds  its  encouragement 
to  persevere.  Are  they  the  very  Truth  ?  We 
must  acknowledge  that  we  shall  never  be  entirely 
convinced  by  our  human  sense.  There  is  one 
way  only  in  which  their  nature  can  become  appar- 
ent :  "  By  their  fruits  we  shall  know  them."  It 
is  a  wise  decree,  that  our  convictions  with  regard 
to  our  destiny  are  not  to  grow  beyond  the  stage 
of  our  individual  unfoldment.  If  the  human  soul, 
which  is  still  dominated  by  the  interests  pertain- 
ing to  the  self,  could  look  beyond  its  present  life, 
foreseeing  with  its  own  eye  the  personal  experi- 


A   SPIRITUAL   TOUR   OF   THE    WORLD. 


205 


ences  that  are  to  follow  in  the  next,  its  evolution 
into  higher  spheres  would  be  impossible ;  for  all 
our  thoughts  and  deeds  would  then  invariably  be 
weighted  with  considerations  of  a  human  nature, 
confining  us  forever  to  a  life  in  human  form.     In 
order  to  rise  out  into  that  higher  sphere  in  which 
the  souls    unite  for  perfect  harmony  and  happi- 
ness, it  is  necessary  that  we  be  free  in  every  way 
to    cultivate   the   life   that    harmonizes  with   the 
nature  of  the  Universal  Spirit]:  seeking  our  pleas- 
ure in  the  welfare  of  all   souls  alike,  loving  and 
encouraging  the  good  /or  its  own  sake  only.     It 
is,  then,  for  this  purpose  that  we  are  constrained 
to  demonstrate  to  ourselves  the  truth  of  our  con- 
ceptions by  our  individual  effort :  we  come  into 
the  higher  knowledge  as  we  lead  the  correspond- 
ing life.     Meanwhile   the  approving  voice  which 
makes  itself   perceptible  within    our   soul   as  we 
proceed  in  this  direction,  is  to  be  recognized  both 
as  a  reward  and  as  a  guide :  coming  to  us  in  the 
garb  of  highest  pleasurable  feeling  directly  from 
the  Father,  who  is  ever  present  and  within  us,  it 
is   the   generator  of  our  faith.     The   oftener  we 
succeed  in  calling  forth  this  voice  and  the  more 
familiar  we  become  with  it,  the  better  shall  we 
understand  the  nature  of  its  source,  —  the  stronger 
and   more   beautiful  will  be  the  faith  which  we 


206         A    SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF    THE    WORLD. 

evolve ;  and,  again,  according  to  our  faith  will  be 
the  nature  of  our  life. 

This  faith  in  the  wisdom,  the  power,  and  the 
goodness  of  our  Heavenly  Father  gives  us  a 
never-failing  power  of  glad  submission  to  all  the 
hardships  which  an  inevitable  destiny  compels 
each  one  of  us  to  undergo ;  no  human  knowledge 
can  ever  so  inspire  us  to  gracefully  surmount  all 
obstacles  that  lie  in  our  path.  And  even  to  the 
last,  when  the  end  of  our  present  term  of  life 
draws  near;  when,  as  it  may  happen.  Fortune 
turns  away  from  us  and  we  are  left  to  end  our 
days  in  loneliness  and  trouble,  our  Father  will  not 
then  withdraw  from  our  soul  the  comfort  that  we 
shall  have  earned  through  our  close  attention  to 
his  voice  :  then  will  our  faith  still  gather-in  the 
rays  of  sunshine  coming  from  the  higher  World, 
and  in  their  light  we  shall  find  the  way  through 
all  the  cheerless  darkness  of  the  moment  to  see 
the  coming  of  the  brighter  time! 

The  more  our  life  approaches  in  its  nature  the 
lives  of  those  great  souls  who  have  gone  before 
us,  the  stronger  will  this  faith  become :  at  first 
believing,  we  shall  more  and  more  become  con- 
vinced ;  while  demonstrating  our  conceptions,  we 
shall  behold  their  truth,  and,  together  with  our 
knowledge  of  their  truth,  will  come  to  us  their 


A   SPIRITUAL    TOUR    OF   THE   WORLD.         20/ 

power,  that  wonderful  power  of  conviction  which 
so  permeates  the  soul  with  life  and  happiness, 
with  love  for  its  Creator  and  its  fellow-beings, 
that  the  very  force  of  its  expression  will  raise  the 
soul  into  the  higher  sphere. 

•  Our  conceptions  are  to  the  eye  of  our  soul 
what  the  rays  of  the  Sun  are  to  the  eye  of  the 
body :  they  reveal  to  us  both  the  existence  and 
the  nature  of  the  source  from  which  they  come. 
All  conceptions  which  generate  within  our  soul  a 
growth  of  harmony,  leading  us  into  a  higher  life, 
thereby  prove  to  us  that  the  sphere  from  which 
they  emanate  is  the  Harmony,  the  Life  itself; 
and  as  we  direct  our  course  according  to  their 
guidance,  our  Father,  who  has  sent  them  to  us, 
will  surely  verify  our  faith  by  continuing  in  the 
fulfillment  of  His  promise,  that,  freed  from  the 
gloomy  world  of  self,  we  may  truly  enter  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven. 


."IHE   E^l5. 


t  •  •  *  ■» 


J  *  ' « » 

»      «       •       »      • 
>         t.      •  •  •        •      » 


»     t    • 
•     <      • 


•    •*>«• 


»      •    I 
». 


»  • 


•      * 


From  the  press  of  the  Arena  Publishing  Company. 


Walter 

Blackburn 

Harte 


"Motley's  the 
only  wear." 


r  •  % 


t  r  t    ■     ^    t     t  \ 


A  Bibelot  for  Booh-Louers- 

Price  in  handsome  cloth,  $1.25. 

MEDITATIONS    IN    MOTLEY:    A   Bundle    of 

Papers  Imbued  with  the  Sobriety  of  Midnight. 

This  is  a  bundle  of  papers  written  in  a  vein  of  delightful 
humor,  and  filled  with  those  sober  and  fantastic  specula- 
tions that  appeal  to  all  those  lovers  of  literature  who  have 
discovered  among  the  older  humorists  some  of  the  most 
:   agreeable  philosophers  of  their  time.  ,      ^      •  j     ^^ 

-Meditations  in  Motley"  is  a  book  for  the  fireside  or 
outdoors ;  for  gray  days  or  sunshine ;  for  so  itude  or 
society.  It  will  take  its  place  among  those  books  handy 
at  one^s  elbow  which  one  instinctively  reaches  for  as  one 
sinks  into  a  cosy  armchair  in  a  snug  corner  and  abandons 
one's  self  to  the  seductions  of  meditation  and  firelight— 
and  perhaps  a  pipe  of  tobacco.  .  j  ^u    _ 

The  papers  are  on  the  most  various  topics,  and  throw 
licrht  on  literature  and  social  questions  without  touching 
dfrectly  the  essay  in  criticism  or  sociology.  "  Meditations 
in  Motley  "  is  a  book  that  tumbles  out  of  every  category. 
It  is  a  book  of  its  own  kind-as  all  who  know  the  writer  s 
work  can  anticipate.  The  style  of  the  essays  reminds  the 
reader  occasionally  of  the  older  English  humorists  but 
there  is  added  a  suggestion  of  French  sparkle  and  wit  and 
vivacity  and  lightness  of  touch. 

Che  History  of  a  iBreat  Social  Experiment. 

I  Price  in  handsome  cloth,  $2.00. 

BROOK   FARM.     Memoirs,  Historic  and  Per- 
sonal. 

:  A  complete  history  of  the  famous  Brook  Farm  experi^ 
ment  has  been  one  of  those  books  which  demanded  >yrit- 
ine  to  complete  the  most  interesting  era  of  American 
literature  and  social  thought,  and  at  last  we  have  a  volume 
that  covers  the  whole  ground  adequately -Dr.  John 
Thomas  Codman's  -  Brook  Farm  :  Memoirs  Historic  and 
Personal."  Dr.  Codman  is  one  of  the  few  surviving 
members  of  the  Brook  Farm  community,  and  his  work 
has,  therefore,  the  special  value  of  intimate  personal 
knowledge  of  the  inner  workings  of  the  scheme  and  of  the 
characteF  and  personalities  of  the  group  of  famous  men 
who  were  interested  in  it.  The  book  will  have  anim- 
mediate  claim  upon  the  interest  of  all  students  of  American 
literature,  and  of  social  thought  everywhere. 

For  sale  by  all  newsdealers,  or  sent  postpaid  by 

^  Arena  Publishing  Co,,  Boston,  Mass, 


Dr.  John  T. 
Codman 


The  History  of  a 
Great  Social  and 
Intellectual 
Awakening 


' 


From  the  press  of  the  Arena  Publishing  Company, 


Ihe  Latest  Social  Uision* 


Byron  A. 
Brooks 


Richmond,  Va. 
Star 

Chicago  Times 

Review  of 
Reviews 


Lyman  Abbott's 
Paper,  The 
Outlook 


Nashville,  Tenn. 
Banner 


Price,  paper,  ^o  cents ;  cloth,  $1.25. 
EARTH   REVISITED. 

The  New  Utopia,  *•  Earth  Revisited,"  is  the  latest  social 
vision,  and  in  many  respects  the  most  charming  work 
of  this  character  which  has  ever  appeared.  In  it  we  see 
the  people,  the  state  and  the  church  under  true  civilization, 
and  the  new  psychology  is  introduced  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  interest  students  of  psychical  research. 

Here  are  a  few  press  opinions :  — 

"  As  a  story,  it  is  very  interesting." 

"  Worthy  of  consideration  for  its  study  of  the  social  and  other 
questions  involved." 

"  The  story  is  written  in  an  autobiographical  form  and  pic- 
tures the  social,  industrial,  religious  and  educational  America  of 
1992.  As  a  work  of  fiction  the  volume  embodies  in  a  fanciful 
way  a  view  expressed  in  the  closing  words :  *  To  live  is  to  love 
and  to  labor.    There  is  no  death.'    The  style  is  clear  and  direct." 

"  Mr.  Brooks  is  an  earnest  man.  He  has  written  a  religio* 
philosophical  novel  of  life  in  the  coming  century.  The  hero  of 
this  story  has  lived  the  life  of  the  average  man  and  at  length, 
when  he  finds  himself  dying,  he  wishes  that  he  might  have  a 
chance  to  live  his  life  over.  The  wish  is  granted  and  he  is  born 
again  on  the  earth  a  century  later.  Social  and  scientific  and 
religious  evolution  have  in  a  hundred  years  contrived  to  make  an 
almost  irrecognizable  world  of  it.  Human  nature  is  changed ; 
altruism  is  fully  realized;  worship  has  become  service  of  man; 
the  struggle  for  wealth  and  social  rank  has  ended.  Mr.  Brooks' 
book  is  worth  reading  by  all  sincere  people,  and  in  particular 
by  those  interested  in  Christian  socialism  and  applied  Christian- 
ity." 

"  If  you  should  happen  to  pick  up  Byron  A.  Brooks'  '  Earth 
Revisited '  and  read  the  first  chapter,  the  chances  are  that  you 
would  follow  the  story  on  to  the  end,  even  if  you  had  other 
things  on  hand  spoiling  for  your  attention.  Summed  up, 
'Earth  Revisited*  is  a  wild  though  delightful  story,  short 
enough  to  be  filled  from  end  to  end  with  throbbing  interest  and 
long  enough  to  fully  round  off  the  things  that  are  introduced." 


For  sale  by  all  newsdealers,  or  sent  postpaid  by 

Arena  Publishifig  Co.,  Boston,  Mass. 


For  Side  by  Roger  Bros. 
429  Sixth  Ave*    Mw  Yario 


fr'i 


